Bumble bee

Description:

Bumble bees are easily recognized, being large (3/4 inch long) with black and yellow or orangish hair patterns on their abdomens. Queens and workers have pollen baskets on their hind legs. Bumble bees can be distinguished from carpenter bees because of the presence of orangeish or yellow hair patterns on the upper surface of the abdomen on the honey bee. Some members of bumble bees (Subfamily Bombinae) in the genus, Psithyrus, are parasites of bumble bees, feeding on larvae. Fertilized queens survive the winter, select an underground nesting site in the spring and construct a nest in which worker bees are raised. Queens lay eggs that hatch into larvae and develop through several stages (instars) before turning into a pupa. Male and female bees are produced later in the summer. In the fall, all members of the colony die except the fertilized queens.

Habitat:

Nesting sites include clumps of dry grass, old bird nests, abandoned rodent burrows, old mattresses, car cushions or even in or under old abandoned buildings. Most colonies contain a few hundred bees although thriving colonies can contain up to 2,000 bees. Nests may be up to 12 inches in diameter and may have several entrances. Foraging worker bees use long tongues to pollinate clovers and other flowers, collecting pollen and nectar that they bring back to the hive to feed to the colony . Honey is stored in the nest. Foraging activities occur only during the daylight hours.

Notes:

Spotted in my bag garden on the cherry blossom tree... I took this photo as part of the Earth Week 2011 ... ;-)