Buff-tailed Bumblebee
Pollinating with a Buzz 🐝💤🌸
The Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a hymenopteran insect of the Apidae family. It is one of the most common bumblebee species in Europe. The body is black and covered in hair with two yellow stripes; it has two pairs of wings and flies with a characteristic buzzing sound.
Only the females have stingers and can sting multiple times, though they are rarely aggressive. Since males have very similar colors, predators, just to be safe, tend to stay away from both sexes…
Bumblebees collect nectar and pollen from flowers 🌺🌼; many types of plants depend on them for pollination. They are fast fliers and can move around even in cold, strong winds, and high humidity when honeybees, for example, cannot fly.
⁉️ Did you know? 😲
Bumblebees are capable of “buzz pollination” 💤: they grab the flower and, by rapidly moving their wing muscles, shake it vigorously to release pollen on plants that cannot be pollinated by honeybees or other smaller insects.
Photo Pixabay