Bumble Bee
Bombus terrestris

SPECIES OVERVIEW

These large, hairy bees are generally black with varying degrees of yellow banding. Look closely at flowering plants and you’ll probably spot the common bumblebee. 

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They are highly social insects, living in smaller colonies than honey bees. Queens hibernate underground during the winter, emerging in spring to find suitable nest sites – for example, abandoned mouse holes. Each queen builds a nest and then lays about a dozen eggs that hatch into workers – sterile females.

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The workers gather pollen and nectar to feed later batches of grubs. New queens and males hatch at the end of the season and mate. Bumblebees are not aggressive and will only sting if they feel threatened. They are important pollinators of many plants and fruiting trees.

KEY FEATURES

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Strengths: 

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+ Can fly

+ Can regulate their body temperatures

+ Friendly - Can engage in diplomacy with multiple species

+ Queens & workers have a powerful sting

+ Can sting multiple times

+ Strong bite

+ Social species

+ Lots of health 

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Weaknesses:

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- Males can't sting

- Small nests

- Don't produce honey

- No armour

- Slow flight 

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Life Cycle:

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Egg > Larvae > Pupa >Female Worker/Male > Male/Queen

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Biome

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Forest 

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Nests

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Bumblebees often build their nests underground in abandoned burrows but will also make their nests in trees or thick vegetation. 

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Food

Nectar from flowers

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