View source for Bumblebee

:''This article is about the flying [[insect]]. For other uses see [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)]] or [[Bombus (disambiguation)]].''
{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = ''Bombus''
| image = Bombus September 2007-2.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropoda]]
| classis = [[Insecta]]
| ordo = [[Hymenoptera]]
| familia = [[Apidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Apinae]]
| tribus = '''Bombini'''
| genus = '''''Bombus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1802
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
[[List of world bumblebee species|more than 250 species and subspecies in 38 subgenera]]
}}

'''Bumblebees''' (also spelled '''bumble bee''', also known as '''humblebee''') are flying [[insect]]s of the [[genus]] ''Bombus'' in the family [[Apidae]].

Bumblebees are [[eusociality|social]] insects that are characterized by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands, a commonality among the majority of the species of ''Bombus''. However, some species are known to have orange or even red on their bodies, or may be entirely black.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bumble Bees - Natural History Museum, London |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/bombus/colour.html |accessdate=2007-07-09}}</ref> Another obvious (but not unique) characteristic is the soft nature of the long, branched [[seta]]e, 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 [[pollen basket|corbicula]]; a shiny concave surface that is bare but surrounding 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).

Like their relatives the [[honey bee]]s, bumblebees feed on [[nectar]] and gather pollen to feed their young.

==Biology==
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[[Image:Bumblebee covered in pollen.jpg|thumb|right|A bumblebee is covered in pollen]]
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[[Image:White Tailed Bumblebee.JPG|thumb|right|White Tailed Bumblebee]]
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[[Image:Bumblebee on Sea Holly.jpg|thumb|right|Bumblebee on [[Sea Holly]].]]
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[[Image:dronefertilizesbumblebee2.jpg|thumb|right|Drone fertilizes bumblebee, early September, southern Ontario, Canada]]
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[[Image:Bumblebee 2007-04-19.jpg|thumb|right]]
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===Anatomy===
The blood or [[hemolymph]], as in other [[arthropod]]s, is carried in an [[Circulatory system#Open circulatory system|open circulatory system]]. The body organs, heart, muscles, etc. are surrounded  in a reservoir of blood. The heart does pulse blood through its long tube, though, so there is a circulation of sorts.
In fertilised queens the ovaries are activated and when the queen lays her egg it passes along the [[oviduct]] to the vagina. In the vagina there is a container called the [[spermatheca]]. This is where the queen stored sperm from her mating. Before she lays the egg she will decide whether to use sperm from the spermatheca to fertilise it or not. Non-fertilised eggs grow into male bumblebees, and only fertilised eggs grow into females and queens.
As in all animals [[hormones]] play a big role in the growth and development of the bumblebee. The hormones that stimulate the development of the ovaries are suppressed in the other female worker bees while the queen remains dominant. Salivary glands in the head secrete saliva which is mixed with the nectar and pollen. Saliva is also mixed into the nest materials to soften them.

The bumblebee tongue is specialised to suck up nectar via capillary action. At rest or when flying the tongue is kept inside a sheath and folded under the head and thorax. The [[abdomen]] is covered with dorsal [[tergites]] and ventral [[sternites]]. Wax is secreted between these plates.

The brightly-coloured [[pile]] of the bumble bee is a form of [[aposematic]] signal. Depending on the species and [[morph]], these colours can range from entirely black, to bright yellow, red, orange, white, and pink. Thick pile can also act as insulation to keep the bee warm in cold weather. Further, when flying a bee builds up an electrostatic charge, and as flowers are usually well grounded, pollen is attracted to the bee's pile when it lands. When a pollen covered bee enters a flower, the charged pollen is preferentially attracted to the [[Carpel|stigma]] because it is better grounded than the other parts of the flower.

A bumblebee does not have ears, and it is not known whether or how a bumblebee can hear sound waves passing through the air, however they can feel the vibrations of sounds through wood and other materials.
The heart, like that in most other insects, runs down the entire length of the body.
The fat body is a nutritional store. Before hibernation queens eat as much as they can to enlarge their fat body. The fat in the cells is used up during hibernation.

===Habitat===
Bumblebees are typically found in higher [[latitude]]s and/or high [[altitude]]s, though exceptions exist (there are a few lowland [[tropical]] species). A few species (''[[Bombus polaris]]'' and ''[[Bombus arcticus|B. arcticus]]'') range into very cold climates where other bees might not be found. One reason for this is that bumblebees can regulate their [[body temperature]], via [[solar radiation]], internal mechanisms of "shivering" and radiative cooling from the abdomen (called [[heterothermy]]). Other bees have similar [[physiology]], but it has been best studied in bumblebees.<ref name=Heinrich>Heinrich, B. (1981) ''Insect Thermoregulation''</ref>

===Nests===
Bumblebees form [[colonies]]. However, their colonies are usually much less extensive than those of honey bees, because of the small physical size of the nest cavity, the fact that a single female is responsible for the initial construction and reproduction that happens within the nest, and the restriction to a single season (in most species).  Often, mature bumblebee nests will hold fewer than 50 individuals, and may be within tunnels in the ground made by other animals, or in [[tussock grass]]. Bumblebees sometimes construct a wax canopy ("involucrum") over top of their nest for protection and insulation. Bumblebees mostly do not preserve their nests through the winter, though some tropical species live in their nests for several years (and their colonies can grow quite large, depending on the size of the nest cavity). The last generation of summer includes a number of [[queen (bee)|queen]]s who [[overwinter]] separately in protected spots. The queens can live up to one year, possibly longer in tropical species.

===Colony cycle===
[[Image:Bombus September 2007-4.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A ''Bombus terrestris'', a very common species in southern Europe]]
Bumblebee nests are first constructed by over-wintered queens in the spring (in temperate areas). Upon emerging from [[hibernation]], the queen collects pollen and nectar from flowers and searches for a suitable nest site. The characteristics of the nest site vary among bumble bee species, with some species preferring to nest in underground holes and others in tussock grass or directly on the ground. Once the queen has found a site, she prepares wax pots to store food and wax cells into which eggs are laid. These eggs then hatch into [[larvae]], which cause the wax cells to expand isometrically into a clump of brood cells. 

These larvae need to be fed both nectar for [[carbohydrates]] and pollen for [[protein]] in order to develop. Bumblebees feed larvae nectar by chewing a small hole in the brood cell into which nectar is regurgitated. Larvae are fed pollen in two ways, depending on the bumblebee species. So called "pocket-maker" bumblebees create pockets of pollen at the base of the brood cell clump from which the larvae can feed themselves. Conversely, "pollen-storer" store pollen in separate wax pots and feed it to the larva in the same fashion as nectar.<ref name=Evans> Evans, Elaine et al. Befriending Bumble Bees. University of Minnesota Press. 2007. </ref> Bumble bees are incapable of [[trophallaxis]].

With proper care, the larvae progress through four [[instars]], becoming successively larger with each molt. At the end of the fourth instar the larvae spin a silk cocoon under the wax covering the brood cell, changing it into a pupal cell. The larvae then undergo an intense period of cellular growth and differentiation and become [[pupae]]. These pupae then develop into adult bees, who chew their way out of the silk cocoon. When adult bumble bees first emerge from their cocoons, the hairs on their body are not yet fully pigmented and are a greyish-white colour. The bees are referred to as "callow" during this time, and they will not leave the colony for at least 24 hours. The entire process from egg to adult bee can take as long as five weeks, depending on the species and the environmental conditions.

After the emergence of the first or second group of workers, workers take over the task of foraging and the queen spends most of her time laying eggs and caring for larvae. The colony grows progressively larger and at some point will begin to produce males and new queens. The point at which this occurs varies among species and is heavily dependant on resource availability and environmental factors. Unlike the workers of more advanced [[social insects]], bumble bee workers are not physically reproductively sterile and are able to lay [[haploid]] eggs that develop into viable male bumble bees. Only fertilized queens can lay [[diploid]] eggs that mature into workers and new queens. 

Early in the colony cycle, the queen bumble bee compensates for potential reproductive competition from workers by suppressing their egg-laying by way of physical aggression and pheromonal signals.<ref name=Honk> Van Honk C.G.J., Velthuis H.H.W., Röseler P.-F.,Malotaux M.E. (1980) The mandibular glands of Bombus terrestris queens as a source of queen pheromones, Entomol. Exp. Appl. 28, 191–198. </ref> Thus, the queen will usually be the mother of all of the first males laid. Workers eventually begin to lay males later in the season when the queen's ability to suppress their reproduction diminishes.<ref name=Fletcher> Fletcher D.J.C., Ross K. (1985) Regulation of reproduction in eusocial Hymenoptera, Annu. Rev. Entomol. 30, 319–343.</ref> The reproductive [[competition (biology)|competition]] between workers and the queen is one reason that bumble bees are considered "primitively [[eusocial]]".

New queens and males leave the colony after maturation. Males in particular are forcibly driven out by the workers. Away from the colony, the new queens and males live off nectar and pollen and spend the night on flowers or in holes. The queens are eventually mated (often more than once) and search a for suitable location for [[diapause]].

===Foraging behavior===
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[[Image:Bumblebee_3_EHM.jpg|thumb|Bumblebee with a load of pollen]]
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Bumblebees generally visit flowers exhibiting the bee [[pollination syndrome]]. They can visit patches of flowers up to 1-2 kilometres from their colony.<ref name=Walther-Hellwig>Walther-Hellwig K, Frankl R (2000). Foraging distances of Bombus muscorum, Bombus lapidarius, and Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Journal of Insect Behavior, 13, 239–246.</ref> Bumblebees will also tend to visit the same patches of flowers every day, as long as nectar and pollen continue to be available.<ref name=Dramstad>Dramstad WE, Fry GLA, Schaffer MJ (2003) Bumblebee foraging —is closer really better? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 95, 349–357.</ref>  

When bumblebees arrive at a flower, they extract nectar using their long tongue ("[[glossa]]") and store it in their [[crop (anatomy)|crop]]. Some species (e.g., ''B. occidentalis'') of bumblebee also exhibit what is known as "nectar robbing": instead of inserting the mouthparts into the flower normally, these bees bite directly through the base of the [[corolla]] to extract nectar, avoiding pollen transfer. <ref name=Maloof>Maloof, J.E. 2001. The Effects of a Bumble Bee Nectar Robber on Plant Reproductive Success and Pollinator Behavior. American Journal of Botany 88 (11) p. 1960-1965.</ref> These bees obtain pollen from other species of flowers that they "legitimately" visit. 

Pollen is removed from flowers deliberately or incidentally by bumblebees. Incidental removal occurs when bumblebees come in contact with the [[anthers]] of a flower while collecting nectar. The bumblebee's body hairs receive a dusting of pollen from the anthers which is then groomed into the [[corbicula]]e ("pollen baskets"). Bumblebees are also capable of [[buzz pollination]].

Once a bumblebee has visited a flower, it leaves a scent mark on the flower. This scent mark deters visitation of the flower by other bumblebees until the scent degrades.<ref name= goulson>Goulson D, Hawson SA, Stout JC (1998) Foraging bumblebees avoid flowers already visited by conspecifics or by other bumblebee species. Animal Behaviour, 55, 199–206.</ref>

Once they have collected nectar and pollen, bumblebees return to the nest and deposit the harvested nectar and pollen into brood cells, or into [[wax]] cells for storage. Unlike honey bees, bumblebees only store a few days' worth of food and so are much more vulnerable to food shortages.  However, because bumblebees are much more opportunistic feeders than honey bees, these shortages may have less profound effects. Nectar is stored essentially in the form it was collected, rather than being processed into [[honey]] as is done in [[honey bee]]s; it is therefore very dilute and watery, and is rarely consumed by humans.

==="Cuckoo" bumblebees===

Bumblebees of the subgenus ''[[Psithyrus]]'' (known as '''[[cuckoo bumblebee]]s''', and formerly considered a separate genus) are a lineage which has lost the ability to collect pollen, and are instead [[cleptoparasite|cleptoparasitic]] in the colonies of other bumblebees. Before finding and invading a host colony, a ''Psithyrus'' female (there is no caste system in these species) will feed directly from flowers. Once she has infiltrated a host colony, the ''Psithyrus'' female will kill or subdue the queen of that colony and forcibly (using [[pheromone]]s and/or physical attacks) "enslave" the workers of that colony to feed her and her young.<ref name=Zimma> Zimma BO, Ayasse M, Tengo J, Ibarra F, Schulz C, Francke W. (2003) Do social parasitic bumblebees use chemical weapons? (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A-Neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology 189 (10): 769-775. </ref> The female ''Psithyrus'' also has a number of morphological adaptations, such as larger mandibles and a larger venom sac that increase her chances of taking over a nest.<ref name= Fisher>Fisher, RM, Sampson, BJ. (1992) Morphological specialization of the bumble bee social parasite ''Psithyrus ashtoni'' (Cresson) (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Canadian Entomologist 124 (1): 69-77.</ref> Upon hatching, the male and female ''Psithyrus'' disperse and mate. Like non-parasitic bumblebee queens, female ''Psithyrus'' find suitable locations to spend the winter and enter diapause upon being mated.

===Reproduction===
In [[temperate zone]] species, in the [[autumn]], young queens ("[[gyne]]s") [[mate]] with males ([[drone (bee)|drone]]s) and [[diapause]] during the [[winter]] in a sheltered area, whether in the ground or in a man-made structure.
In the early [[Spring (season)|spring]], the queen comes out of diapause and finds a suitable place to create her colony, and then builds [[wax]] cells in which to lay her fertilized eggs from the previous winter.  The eggs that hatch develop into female workers, and in time the queen populates the colony, with workers feeding the young and performing other duties similar to honey bee workers. New reproductives are produced in autumn, and the queen and workers die, as do the males.

==Sting==
Queen and worker bumblebees can [[bee sting|sting]], but, like virtually all bees, the sting is not barbed (only [[honey bee]]s have a barbed sting), so they can sting more than once.<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbeesting.htm|title=Straight Dope Staff Report: Do bumblebees sting? Once or many times? |accessdate=2007-07-09}}</ref> Bumblebee species are non-aggressive, but will sting in defense of their nest, or if harmed. Female cuckoo bumblebees will aggressively attack host colony members, and sting the host queen, but will ignore other animals (including humans) unless disturbed. See [[Schmidt Sting Pain Index]].

==Bumblebees and people==

[[Image:Bombus Bumblebee (Bestoevning).jpg|thumb|right|Bumblebee collecting [[pollen]] from a [[sunflower]].]]
Bumblebees are important [[pollinator]]s of both [[crop (agriculture)|crops]] and [[wildflower]]s.

===Agricultural use===

{{main|List of plants pollinated by bees}}

Bumblebees are increasingly cultured for agricultural use as pollinators because they can pollinate plant species that other pollinators cannot by using a technique known as [[buzz pollination]]. For example, bumblebee colonies are often emplaced in [[greenhouse]] [[tomato]] production, because the frequency of buzzing that a bumblebee exhibits effectively releases tomato pollen.<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://www.nrdc.org/OnEarth/06sum/bees3.asp|title=NRDC: OnEarth Magazine, Summer 2006 - The Vanishing|accessdate=2007-07-09}}</ref>

The agricultural use of bumblebees is limited to [[pollination]]. Because bumblebees do not overwinter the entire colony, they are not obliged to stockpile honey, and are therefore not useful as honey producers.

===Endangered status===
Bumblebees are in danger in many developed countries due to [[habitat destruction]] and collateral [[pesticide]] damage. In [[United Kingdom|Britain]], until relatively recently, 19 species of native true bumblebee were recognised along with six species of cuckoo bumblebees. Of these, three have already become [[extinction|extinct]],<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060728162546.htm Scientists Map The Flight Of The Bumblebee]</ref><ref>Harman, Alan. "Bumblebee Shortage". Bee Culture, 59. July, 2003.</ref> eight are in [[pollinator decline|serious decline]] and only six remain widespread. A decline in bumblebee numbers could cause large-scale sweeping changes to the countryside, due to inadequate pollination of certain plants.

In response to this, a new organisation has recently been set up - [http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/ The Bumblebee Conservation Trust] aims to halt these declines through [[Habitat conservation|conservation]] and education (see links).

===In popular culture===
* The young [[Autobot]] [[Bumblebee (Transformers)|Bumblebee]] is one of the characters of the ''[[Transformers (fiction)|Transformers]]'' series. 
*''[[The Flight of the Bumblebee]]'' is a famous [[orchestra]]l [[interlude]] written by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] for his [[opera]] ''[[The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Rimsky-Korsakov)|The Tale of Tsar Saltan]]'', composed in [[1899]]-[[1900]].
* The character [[Bumblebee Man]] from [[The Simpsons]] is a Mexican slapstick comedian who dresses in a bumblebee costume. He is based on [[El Chapulín Colorado]], a famous Mexican comedy character who dresses in a red [[grasshopper]] costume.
* In the north-east of [[Scotland]] bumblebees are known as 'foggy bummers'.<ref>[http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/kist/search/display.php?lwee02.dat University of Aberdeen  - Elphinstone Institute collection] Retrieved 17 June 2007.</ref>
* [[Buck Bumblebee]] was a [[Nintendo 64]] game starring the titular Bee in battle against villainous bugs.

==Bumblebee myths==
[[Image:Hummel und spitzwegerich.jpg|thumb|right|The flight of the bumblebee]]

===Flight===
According to 20th century [[folklore]], the laws of [[aerodynamics]] prove that the bumblebee should be incapable of [[flight]], as it does not have the capacity (in terms of wing size or beat per second) to achieve flight with the degree of [[wing loading]] necessary. Not being aware of scientists 'proving' it cannot fly, the bumblebee succeeds under "the power of its own arrogance".<ref>McFadden et. al. 2007</ref> The origin of this [[myth]] has been difficult to pin down with any certainty. [[John McMasters]] recounted an anecdote about an unnamed Swiss aerodynamicist at a dinner party who performed some rough calculations and concluded, presumably in jest, that according to the equations, bumblebees cannot fly.<ref>McMasters, John H. "The flight of the bumblebee and related myths of entomological engineering." ''American Scientist'' 77 (March/April 1989): pp.146-169, cited in Ingram, Jay ''The Barmaid's Brain'', Aurum Press, 2001, pp.91-92.</ref> In later years McMasters has backed away from this origin, suggesting that there could be multiple sources, and that the earliest he has found was a reference in the 1934 French book ''Le vol des insectes'' by M. Magnan.  Magnan is reported to have written that he and a Mr. [[Saint-Lague]] had applied the equations of [[air resistance]] to insects and found that their flight was impossible, but that "One shouldn't be surprised that the results of the calculations don't square with reality".<ref>Ingram, Jay ''The Barmaid's Brain'', Aurum Press, 2001, pp.91-92.</ref>

It is believed that the calculations which purported to show that bumblebees cannot fly are based upon a simplified linear treatment of oscillating [[aerofoil]]s. The method assumes small amplitude oscillations without flow separation. This ignores the effect of [[dynamic stall]], an airflow separation inducing a large [[vortex]] above the wing, which briefly produces several times the lift of the aerofoil in regular flight. More sophisticated aerodynamic analysis shows that the bumblebee can fly because its wings encounter dynamic stall in every [[oscillation]] [[cycle]].[http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March00/APS_Wang.hrs.html]

===Buzz===
One common, yet incorrect, assumption is that the [[buzz]]ing sound of bees is caused by the beating of their wings. The sound is the result of the bee vibrating its flight [[muscle]]s, and this can be done while the muscles are decoupled from the wings, a feature known in bees but not possessed by other insects. This is especially pronounced in bumblebees, as they must warm up their bodies considerably to get airborne at low ambient temperatures.<ref name=Heinrich/> This is how bumblebees can sometimes reach an internal thoracic temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

==Selected species==
[[Image:BumbleBee-OnPavement.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Buff-Tailed bumblebee]]]]
[[Image:Bumblebee, Albuquerque PP Sharp Low.JPG|thumb|right|Bumblebee of unknown species]]
For a complete list, see [[List of world bumblebee species]].

* ''[[Bombus affinis]]''
* ''[[Bombus appositus]]''
* ''[[Bombus ashtoni]]''
* ''[[Bombus bifarius]]''
* [[Two-spotted Bumblebee]], ''Bombus bimaculatus''
* ''[[Bombus borealis]]''
* ''[[Bombus citrinus]]''
* [[Cullum's bumblebee]], ''Bombus cullumanus''
* [[Great Yellow bumblebee]], ''Bombus distinguendus''
* [[Golden Northern Bumblebee]], ''Bombus fervidus''
* [[Yellow-faced bumblebee]], ''Bombus flavifrons''
* ''[[Bombus fraternus]]''
* ''[[Bombus frigidus]]''
* [[Grey-necked bumblebee]], ''Bombus griseocollis''
* [[Small Garden bumblebee]], ''Bombus hortorum''
* [[Frisky bumblebee]] ''Bombus impatiens''
* ''[[Bombus insularis]]''
* ''[[Bombus kirbyellus]]''
* [[Red-tailed bumblebee]], ''Bombus lapidarius''
* ''[[Bombus lucorum]]''
* [[Orange-rumped Bumblebee]], ''Bombus melanopygus'' 
* [[Blaeberry Bumblebee]], ''Bombus monticola''<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/17/bumblebee_crisis/ UK bumblebees face extinction] Retrieved 17 June 2007.</ref><ref>'Broadleaf' magazine No 68 (Spring 2007) ''The bee's knees''. Grantham. Woodland Trust.</ref>
* ''[[Bombus occidentalis]]''
* ''[[Bombus pascuorum]]''
* ''[[Bombus pensylvanicus]]''
* ''[[Bombus perplexus]]''
* [[Northern bumblebee]], ''Bombus polaris''
* [[Early Bumblebee]], ''Bombus pratorum''
* [[Large Garden bumblebee]], ''Bombus ruderatus''
* ''[[Bombus rufocinctus]]''
* [[Short-haired bumblebee]], ''Bombus subterraneus''
* [[Shrill Carder bee]], ''Bombus sylvarum''
* ''[[Bombus sylvicola]]''
* [[Orange-belted bumblebee]] ''Bombus ternarius''
* [[Buff-Tailed bumblebee]], or Large Earth Bumblebee, ''Bombus terrestris''
* ''[[Bombus vagans]]''

==Associated parasites==
* [[Tracheal mites]] - ''[[Locustacarus buchneri]]''
* [[Protozoans]]- ''[[Crithidia bombi]]''
*[[Microsporidia]]- ''[[Nosema bombi]]''

==See also==
*[[List of world bumblebee species]]
*[[Imidacloprid effects on bee population]]
*[[Regent (insecticide)]]
*[[Bee]]s
*[[Characteristics of common wasps and bees]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[Charles D. Michener|Michener, C.D.]] (2000). ''The Bees of the World''. Johns Hopkins University Press.
*"Bees." <cite>World Book Encyclopedia</cite>. 1998 ed.
*Hasley, William D. "Bees." <cite>Collier's Encyclopedia</cite>. 1990 ed.
*Abbott, Carl, and Bartlett, John. "Bumble Bees." <cite>Encarta Encyclopedia</cite>. 2004 ed.
*Freeman, Scott. <cite>Biological Science</cite>. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, 2002.
*Macdonald, M. & Nisbet, G. 2006. "Highland Bumblebees: Distribution, Ecology and Conservation." HBRG, Inverness, www.hbrg.org.uk. ISBN 0-9552211-0-2.

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Bombus}}
*[http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/bombus/ Bumblebees of the world - find species by region, species groups, colour pattern]
*[http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/bombus/decline.html Distribution and decline of British bumblebees]
*[http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/index.htm The Bumblebee Conservation Trust]
* [http://www.buglife.org.uk/bigbumblebeehunt/ Buglife's Big Bumblebee Hunt in Essex, London and North Kent - Summer 2007]
*[http://www.cirrusimage.com/Bees_bumble.htm Bumble Bees - diagnostic photographs, Creative Commons]
* [http://www.bumblebee.org/ The Bumblebee Pages - Comprehensive Site]
* [http://www.pollinator.com/alt_pollinators.htm Alternative pollinators] Also links to non-apis vendors.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/springwatch/record/bumblebee.shtml Record UK Red-tailed Bumblebee sightings here] - Springwatch 2006

[[Category:Bees]]
[[Category:Pollinators]]

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