Description and photos of the garden bumblebee

Garden Bumblebee can be found in almost any garden in Russia. He is the closest relative of the honeybee and has no less a list of useful properties. He is called so: an earthen bee, indicating his preference in choosing a place for a nest. This bee brings more benefits than other insects. The garden bumblebee is a real worker and friend of any gardener.

Appearance

The garden worker can often be seen in the garden. It is a shaggy insect, the color is very similar to a honey bee.The body size of the main female is from 18 to 23 mm in length. Working insects slightly less - 12-16 mm. The smallest members of the bumblebee family are drones. Their body length is about 14 mm. Black and yellow stripes on the body alternate, and the end of the abdomen has a white color.

On a note!

Bumblebees very rarely bite a person, only in extreme circumstances. Drones do not even have a sting and do not pose any threat to others.

The small transparent elongated wings of striped workers look disproportionately small compared with the dimensions of their bodies. But during the flight, they make special movements of the wings, thereby creating air turbulence, which plays the role of lift for the insect.

Garden bumblebee

The extremities of the earth bee consist of several parts. The rear largest paws have the so-called baskets - bristles for collecting pollen from the flowers of plants. It is with this device that the insect carries pollen from one flower to another, thereby pollinating the plants.

Nest device

Bumblebees prefer to build nests in hollows, crevices of houses, but more often in burrows underground.After hibernation, the female queen finds a secluded place for her first egg laying, where a nest with a large family subsequently forms - from 100 to 500 individuals.

The nest is usually in the shape of an elongated ball. Partitions between honeycombs drones line up from wax. And working females, which do not have the opportunity to breed, bring nectar they have harvested.

On a note!

The processed perga and nectar turn into a product known for all. Produced by them honey It is very appreciated for its beneficial and taste properties.

Bumblebee nest

Spread

The garden bumblebee as a species is distributed almost throughout the continent of Eurasia, covering the following areas:

• Europe;
• Caucasus;
• Middle Russia;
• Kazakhstan;
• Eastern Siberia.

The garden worker is found even in the taiga regions of Russia, in Iceland. It tolerates a relatively cold summer, is able to pollinate flowers in rainy weather and in the evening.

Insect use

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of having a garden bumblebee in a garden. He is the pollinator of many plants. Thanks to his hard work and high productivity, the crop on the site will always please the summer resident.Therefore, in no case should not try to get rid of the bumblebee nests near the garden or garden.

On a note!

Bumble-bee honey in its healing qualities is not inferior to the bee. It also has many useful components and is considered to taste even better than honey.

The presence of a bumblebee family in a certain area provides for the absence of wasps in the same place, which tend to bother a person. Garden bumblebees themselves have no interest in a person and will try to avoid close contact with him.