Bumblebee
A
bumblebee, also written
bumble bee, is any member of the bee genus
Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, found primarily in higher latitudes or at higher altitude in the Northern Hemisphere, although they also occur in South America; there are however a few lowland tropical species. European bumblebees have been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Bumblebees are social insects which form colonies with a single queen; colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, consisting often of fewer than 50 individuals in a nest. Female bumblebees can sting, repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. Bumblebees have round bodies covered in soft hair, called pile, making them appear and feel fuzzy. They have warning coloration, often in bands, in combinations of black, yellow, orange/red, and white. 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: a bare shiny concave surface, surrounded by a fringe of hairs used to transport pollen.