The small garden bumblebee, aka garden bumblebee, is found throughout Europe, Iceland, western Asia, and New Zealand. They are told apart from other bees by their long tongue that is used for feeding on pollen in deep-flowered plants. Based on climate and land use changes, these bumblebees are expected to lose a significant part of climatically suitable territories by the end of the century, totaling up to 71%. Climate change, which causes droughts, heat waves, and storms will also modify the future range of this species. Elevated temperatures have been documented causing impaired cognition of these bees. They are also threatened by habitat loss and destruction at the hands of farming and ranching. However, for now, these insects are abundant enough and also widespread enough to be listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their population trend is listed as stable, for the time being.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Bombus hortorum
Weight: Up to .02 ounce
Length: Up to 1 inch
Wingspan: Up to 1.5 inches
Lifespan: Up to 1 year for queens, up to 4 weeks for workers
Now on to the Facts!
1.) Their close relative, the large garden bumblebee, also has a long tongue, but is much less common to find.
2.) They have 3 types of spectrally sensitive cells: UV with peak sensitivity to light of 353 nm wavelength, blue receptors, and green sensitive receptors with peak sensitivities to wavelengths of 430 nm and 548 nm, respectively.
3.) Their preferred habitats are flower-rich grasslands, woodland edges, scrublands, and urban gardens with an array of deep, tubular flowers.
4.) Cattle play a very important role in the habitat of this species due to their feeding actions in grasslands which cause a more diverse floral environment, which is preferred by these bees for their foraging behavior.
5.) It’s important that expanses of foraging plant diversities and nesting sites either receive no intervention so as to foster a natural habitat, or are intensively grazed by cattle during the summer in order to create enriched plant diversity and develop an environment rich in favored flowers.
But wait, there’s more on the small garden bumblebee!
6.) Unlike most other bee species, nests are built underground.
7.) Nests are often constructed in the most unusual places, such as coat pockets, rolled-up carpets, old cushions and furniture, inside lawnmowers, upturned flower pots and sinks, buckets and tins, compost bins and coal heaps, bird nest boxes, and more.
Did you know…?
Their tongue measures up to 0.59 inch. That’s over half the length of their body!
8.) The queen produces a small hive of up to 100 individuals by the end of the season.
9.) At the end of the season in the winter, mated queens look for hibernation sites underground while the rest of the colony dies off.
10.) At the end of the season during late summer, queens mate and then store the sperm in spermatheca during their hibernation period.
But wait, there’s still more on the small garden bumblebee!
11.) As with many bumblebees, the males of this species patrol a specific circuit, marking objects along their route, about 3 feet above ground, with a pheromone that attracts queens. This behavior was noted by Darwin in 1886 within his own garden.
12.) Rather than communicate with one another while foraging, they collect food independently utilizing a method called ‘trap-lining’, in which individuals follow a regular route and visit the same flowers each time they forage, like a trapper would.
Did you know…?
Pesticides can impact the colonies by reducing brood development and impairing their memory, causing them to forget the locations of their foraging sites and even their nests.
13.) Workers have been known to travel up to .80 mile in up to 4 days time in search of flowers.
14.) They utilize louder and more intense defensive buzzes as warning signs and to show aggression.
15.) Being frequent pollinators of many crops, including sunflowers, strawberries, apples, and tomatoes, they are important pollinators.
Now a Short Small Garden Bumblebee Video!
This video talks about bumblebees in general.
Be sure to share & comment below! Also, check out the Critter Science YouTube channel. Videos added regularly. Be sure to like and subscribe!
Want to suggest a critter for me to write about? Let me know here.
Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
Leave a Reply