A bumble bee collecting pollen from a pink flowered thistle in West Sussex, England
A bumble bee (also spelled as bumblebee) is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania. Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. However, some species have orange or red on their bodies, or may be entirely black.[1] Another obvious (but not unique) characteristic is the soft nature of the hair (long, branched setae), called pile, that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy. They are best distinguished from similarly large, fuzzy bees by the form of the female hind leg, which is modified to form a corbicula: a shiny concave surface that is bare, but surrounded by a fringe of hairs used to transport pollen (in similar bees, the hind leg is completely hairy, and pollen grains are wedged into the hairs for transport).
Size: 3645px × 2421px
Location: West Sussex, England
Photo credit: © Wendy Johnson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bee, bumble, bumblebee, collecting, etymology, foraging, genus, hairy, insect, insects, likes., member, pollen, pollenating, social
