Buff-tailed Bumblebee: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Busy Bugs · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Displaced from their nest, bumblebees can find the colony again from up to 9.8 km away.
2. In a bumblebee colony, different-sized workers do different jobs. Larger bees more often forage outside the nest.
3. A bee that finds good food rushes wildly around the nest with no set pattern. Honey bees, by contrast, perform a set dance.
4. When mating, a male seals the female with a sticky plug that seems to make it harder for her to mate with other males for several days.
5. Bumblebees are busiest in the morning, with a peak at around 7-8 am.

The quiz

1. How far away can a displaced bumblebee find its colony again?

• Up to 1 km
• Up to 98 km
• Up to 9.8 km (correct)
• Up to 100 m

Even when moved up to 9.8 km from home, they can find their way back.

2. Which workers more often forage outside the nest?

• The larger ones (correct)
• The smaller ones
• Only the queen
• Only the males

The bigger workers are the ones most often out collecting food.

3. How does a forager that found good food act back at the nest?

• It performs a ritual dance
• It hums a tune at the entrance
• It lines up with the others
• It runs around frantically with no pattern (correct)

Lucky foragers rush about the nest with no clear pattern, unlike a honey bee's set dance.

4. What does a male leave behind that makes it harder for other males to mate?

• A wax seal
• A sticky plug (correct)
• A loud buzz
• A flower scent

The male plugs the female with a sticky secretion that reduces her chances of mating with others for several days.

5. When are bumblebees busiest?

• At noon
• At dusk
• In the morning, around 7-8 am (correct)
• In the middle of the night

Their activity peaks in the morning, at around 7-8 am.

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