Nature is full of awesome insects that you don’t get to see too often. Some of them are too tiny while others are simply a rare sight.
Bumblebees can be both. Being one of the most important insects for human development, these colorful insects are much more interesting than many people know. We’ll try to fix that by giving you 3 interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about bumblebees.
1. They Are Super Pollinators
Pollination is arguably one of the most important processes in nature. It impacts the overall ecosystem and every living thing in it. We humans aren’t detached from the effects of pollination either. Most fruits, some veggies, and many other plants require pollination in order to produce seeds.
Insects, mainly honey bees, are known as being instrumental when it comes to pollination. This is why scientists and bee experts around the world are growing increasingly concerned about the diminishing number of bees.
What most people don’t know is that bumblebees are super pollinators that often pollinate plants in areas where regular bees or similar insects don’t venture. Many high altitude orchards and fruit plantations depend on bumblebees to deliver the much so needed pollen.
How bumblebees perform pollination is also interesting. According to this website, some types of bumblebees pollinate flowers by grabbing the flower and shaking their bodies until all of the pollen has been deposited. This process is slightly more violent compared to how honey bees do it, but it ensures positive pollination in most cases.
2. Bumblebees Have An Almost Alien-Like Anatomy
If you were to take a closer look at a bumblebee, you’d probably begin to realize just how unusual these insects are. However, it’s their circulatory system that makes them truly alien-like.
Humans and almost every other animal on the planet have a defined circulatory system consisting of veins, arteries, and smaller blood vessels. There’s a heart that keeps the blood circulating through this system, ensuring that every part of our bodies receives the nutrients it needs.
With bumblebees, you’re looking at a completely different type of circulatory system. Bumblebees, much like other insects, have exoskeletons, meaning that their skeletons are on the outside. The inside of a bumblebee has zero blood vessels.
That’s right — a bumblebee’s body is a cavity full of blood that sits there, like in a balloon. All of the organs, including the heart, are located within the free-floating blood. What’s interesting is that the bumblebee’s heart still serves a purpose to pump the blood and offer some kind of circulation.
3. Bumblebees Are Friendly
Encountering a bumblebee in the wild can scare some people. This insect creates a very pronounced sound as it moves through the air, giving a somewhat aggressive appearance. However, bumblebees are extremely friendly. So much so that you really don’t have to be scared of being stung by one.
Bumblebees females are the only ones equipped with a sting. Can they sting you? They can, but you need to pose an immediate threat to a female bumblebee for her to even consider stinging you. Furthermore, bumblebees tend to issue warnings before they attack. When irritated or threatened, a female bumblebee will raise its middle leg as a sign of warning. If ignored, the bumblebee might attack you.
Generally speaking, you don’t have to be worried about bumblebees. They are docile, gentle giants of the skies that are only interested in getting their work done and going back home to their queen. If you’re lucky, you can even pet a bumblebee and share a very interesting moment with it as it sits in the palm of your hand.
If you see bumblebees on the regular basis, there’s a chance they have a nest somewhere nearby. Unlike honey bees that often cross great distances in search of food, bumblebees like to stay close to their nests.
Enjoy Their Presence
Bumblebees are very friendly insects that only live for a year. The queen is the only member of the colony that survives the winter. Next time you see a bumblebee, enjoy its presence. If you’d like to help bumblebee preservation, you can plant flowers that are known to attract them. Species of flowers that have blue, purple, pink, and yellow colors generally tend to attract bumblebees.
Additionally, if you’re into farming or gardening, try not to use pesticides known to cause damage to bees and bumblebees alike. In fact, some places have made such pesticides outright illegal for use, so make sure to check your local and municipal laws.
