Bumblebees:
Red-Tailed Bumblebee
General Description
| · Queens and workers are black, with a bright red tail covering half of the abdomen.
· Males have yellow facial hair and bright yellow bands at the front and rear of the thorax, along with a similar red tail to females. · They are distinguished by their black body with red markings around the abdomen. · Worker females and the queen look similar, but the queen is larger than the workers. |
Credit: Ivar Leidus |
- Males have red and black coloration along with a yellow band around the abdomen.
- Yellow markings are present on the face.
Life Cycle and Common Characteristics
- Bumble bees appear in the summer months (June to August).
- These bees do not form complex colonies.
- The queen establish the new colony.
- Nests usually only contain a few hundred bees.
- A colony consists of 150 to 300 workers.
- Nests are found in different habitats, but the bees prefer open terrain.
- Being social bees, they produce heat, due to the contraction of their thoracic flight muscles, to help warm and incubate their brood.
- Males travel a greater distance than workers.
- They eat pollenand nectar.
- Workers attempt to eat the eggs laid by the queen, but the queen cannot prevent this from happening.
Damages and Economic & Medical Implications
- These bumblebees are important for pollination for many plants.
- They have the ability to sting.
