Vancouver Bumble Bee (Bombus vancouverensis) lives in temperate grasslands across Western North America. It feeds on nectar and pollen.
Fascinating facts about the Vancouver Bumble Bee
- It is one of only two bumblebee species known to recognise kin using pheromones. Bombus vancouverensis and the frigid bumblebee both employ chemical cues to tell nest-mates from strangers. Males mark patrol routes with these scents, and receptive females are drawn to the marked paths. This ability lets them avoid inbreeding by locating unrelated mates.
- Mating pairs can stay coupled for up to forty-five minutes, a duration that also functions as mate-guarding. The prolonged contact prevents rival males from accessing the queen, but it limits the male's overall mating opportunities. Because the pair remains immobilised, they become more vulnerable to predators during this time.
- Workers actively control nest climate by adjusting wing-fanning and brood-cell incubation rates. When the nest warms, they increase rapid wing fanning to cool the chamber and reduce the heat-producing incubation behaviour. Individual bees differ, with some beginning fanning at lower temperatures and others starting incubation at higher ones, fine-tuning the brood environment.
- During buzz pollination the Vancouver bumblebee shakes pollen loose by sonicating the flower's anthers, a technique it shares with many other bumblebees. Because the species is relatively small, individuals are able to hang upside-down on the flower while they buzz.
- While most workers collect both nectar and pollen, some individuals commit to a single resource for the entirety of their foraging career, either gathering only nectar or only pollen. This lifelong specialisation has been documented in field studies of the species. Workers that specialise are able to bring back more food than those that switch between resources, giving the colony a more efficient supply of each commodity.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeWestern North America
HabitatTemperate grasslands
DietNectar and pollen
About the Vancouver Bumble Bee
In the lush meadows and verdant forests of the Pacific Northwest, the Vancouver Bumble Bee dances through the air with an effortless elegance, its fuzzy body a blur of black and yellow as it flits from bloom to bloom in search of nectar. With a gentle hum, it navigates the intricate tapestry of its ecosystem, collecting pollen and seeds with a busy industry that is at once frenetic and serene. As it moves through the world, this unassuming creature plays a vital role in the grand symphony of pollination, its very existence a testament to the beauty and resilience of the natural world.
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