Nest of bumblebees: where bumblebees live

Bumblebees are a genus of hymenoptera (Hymenoptera) family of bees. The world knows about 300 of their species.

Species of the genus Bombus, of which more than 80, are distributed practically in all parts of the world, except for Australia.

Where do bumble bees live and how do they create families? The answers to these questions will be given in the article.

Habitat

Where does the bumblebee live? It's easier to say where they do not live. The ability to maintain the heat of his body allowed these insects to dwell and far to the north. Bumblebees penetrate to Greenland, Chukotka, Novaya Zemlya and Alaska. What is the reason for the cold resistance of these insects? Their body is characterized by the ability of thermoregulation.

And at the same time, such a feature of them does not allow them to get along in the tropics. Bumblebees live in North America, in Northern Eurasia and in the mountains. Only two species of bumblebee are found in the tropics of Brazil.

Brief characteristics of insects

Bumblebees (earth bees) belong to the family Apidae, as well as ordinary honey bees.

In its way of life and body structure, this large insect is close to bees. True, the way of life and nests are different.

Males, in contrast to females, have long antennae, they are also larger than working bumblebees and have copulatory mites.

Their body is large, reaches a length of 3.5 cm, fairly densely covered with hairs. The coloring combines black, red, white and yellow stripes.

The lower, white part of the body, ends with a small, inconspicuous in the ordinary state, a sting. The hind tibiae have spurs.

The eyes of the bumblebee are almost on the same line.

Both the uterus and the working individuals have a collective apparatus. It consists of a brush and a basket.

Uterus is larger in size than males and has a stinger, as are workers (females are underdeveloped).

Bumblebees are more benevolent insects, sting very rarely, compared to bees. Little is known about the chemical composition of bumblebee poison. He has not been sufficiently studied.

Lifestyle, behavior

I wonder where the bumblebee live? Bumblebees, like other insects, are active almost all summer time, but in all species this period is different. It depends on their place of their dwelling (in high or low latitudes).

A characteristic feature of bumblebees, which distinguishes them from other pollinators (wasps and bees) is that they are able to work in the cold (collect nectar), at temperatures up to 0 ° C. In this regard, they go further than the other pollinators to the north.

Those species that live far to the north, with a short one-month summer, do not have time to create a family and live as solitary insects.

In the territories of the same temperate climate, the family created lives one summer. In tropical areas, some species are organized by perennial families.

And where do bumblebee live in winter? During this period they live in underground shelters.

Uterine fertilized winters mostly in their dug trenches in the ground, and in the spring they build nests.

How and where do bumblebees live and live? These insects have an amazing rare feature. Unlike other similar insects, all bumblebee larvae develop and feed in one common chamber. In the free cells, the female creates reserves of honey and perga (honey-paste test) for the period of bad weather.

Features of public life

Like bees, bumblebees are social insects. They organize huge families, numbering up to 200 individuals.

In such communities where the bumblebee live, there is an amazingly clear distribution of responsibilities for each of its members.

In natural conditions, the female, as a rule, lays 200-400 eggs for the withdrawal of working individuals, then it starts laying eggs, from which females and males develop.

Many species have so-called small queens (this is the average between uterus and working individuals). The latter, together with workers and small uterus, build nests, collect honey and pollen (food), and lay unfertilized eggs, from which only males develop. And from the latest laid eggs, the uterus is removed already new, which, in turn, are fertilized by males.

For wintering there are only old uterus, as old ones die, males, working individuals and small uterus also die. The whole community is dissipated.

What is the nest of bumblebees? Where do bumblebees live?

Fertilized uterus, as already mentioned above, overwinter most of the dug in the earth and only in the spring, during the thaw, begin to build their nests. The dwelling is irregular oval cells formed of coarse reddish or brown wax. The nest is placed between the stones, in the ground under the moss, etc.

Bumblebees or mouse holes are often used as bumblebees.

Usually only the very first cells of the nest consist of wax, and then, as the next cells, the emaciated cocoons of the pupae serve. All cells are also filled with coarse honey and flower dust.

Usually in bumblebee nests up to 200 individuals, less often - up to 500. True, people in artificial nests with the presence of heating managed to get families with the number of individuals up to 1000.

Breeding process, nutrition

Almost the whole period of the summer, the uterus lays its fertilized eggs. Subsequently, they leave the workers, and then the small uterus. Usually, in each cell where bumblebees live, several eggs are deposited. Some of the larvae that leave eggs die due to a lack of food.

Complete development of the larvae occurs within about 12 days. Then they themselves spoon cocoons, where they turn into pupae. This period lasts about 2 weeks.

As the growth progresses, the larva gradually enlarges and widens the cell. And the female and working individuals constantly put in order, repair and fix the dwelling. After a lapse of 30 days in the nest are taken out workers.

Since the release of the first workers, the number of people living in the nest is increasing rapidly. And the food reserves grow, for their storage are used abandoned empty cells. And this is one of the features of life of bumblebees. They never reuse the cell twice in order to withdraw the young. Therefore, old nests are always rather untidy. On such dilapidated cells, insects build new ones, not observing any order.

Feed on insects nectar plants. For this they collect it from the blossoming colors of various species.

In conclusion, a little interesting about bumble bees

• Often in the hot days of a bumblebee you can see at the entrance to the nest, fluttering with wings. In this way it ventilates the nest.

• "Wool" helps the bumblebee to warm - it prevents heat loss and reduces them in half.

• Bumblebee is able to develop speed in flight up to 18 km / h.

• Bumblebee poison, unlike bee venom, does not harm a person, since this insect does not leave a sting in the human skin. But it is capable of stinging many times.

• There is an industry called bumble beet - breeding of bumblebees for agricultural purposes (pollination of different crops to increase their yield).