Bumble Bee

Description:

Giant looking Bumble Bee. Bigger than any other bumble bee I have seen. It had a longer body too. It's head looks creepy looking, like you don't want to mess with it! It has a yellow neck, and a yellow band on tail. The rest of it has black and orange fuzz. The insect is probably the size and length of my thumb; almost 2 inches long, and approx. 3/4 of an inch wide.

Habitat:

It was getting nectar from our Bleeding Hearts. We live in University Place, Washington.

Notes:

What are those bright orange clumps on it's hind legs? Is it pollen, from other flowers? What does the bee do with the pollen? Thanks guys. PS: I know I took this photo in late May. Don't remember exact day. I tried to research what bee it was, but found it quite hard to research, because of the vast variety of bees, and all the different markings they can have.