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Tri-Colored Bumble Bee (Orange-belted Bumblebee)

Bombus ternarius

Description:

Tri-Colored Bumble Bee collecting pollen and or nectar on Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) flowering plants.

Habitat:

Field and Marshland Trail

Notes:

According to the iNaturalist Network, http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/127905-B..., "Flight for bumblebees is energy costly. Estimates put bumblebee metabolic rate at extremes surpassing even hummingbird metabolic rates, so efficient foraging and good decision-making is paramount or the workers risk a net loss of energy. Pollen is rich in protein necessary to sustain flight, but is more difficult to collect than nectar. Interestingly, bumblebees exhibit individual learning. New pollen foragers tend to return lighter from about the first 10 foraging trips, allowing foraging efficiency to increase, until it plateaus at about 30 trips."

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1 Comment

BonnieLewis
BonnieLewis 7 years ago

Gorgeous!

Joseph R. Godreau
Spotted by
Joseph R. Godreau

Houghton, Michigan, USA

Spotted on Aug 4, 2016
Submitted on Jan 12, 2017

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