What is the difference between a bumblebee and a bee, photo

The differences between a bumblebee and a bee are in appearance and lifestyle. The bumblebee of the genus Hymenoptera is a close relative of the bee, belonging to the same species. The distribution area of ​​​​insects is North America, Europe, Eurasia, almost all regions except Antarctica. In the photo of a bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) and a bee (Apis mellifera), their visual differences are well tracked.

What is the difference between a bumblebee and a bee

Of the representatives of the species, bumblebees are the most cold-resistant, they are able to raise the body temperature to 40⁰ C, due to the rapid contraction of the pectoral muscles. This feature contributes to the spread of insects in colder regions. Early in the morning, before sunrise, when the air is not warm enough, a bumblebee, unlike a bee, is able to start collecting nectar.

In bee colonies there is a strict hierarchy and distribution of labor. Males are larger than females, except for reproductive, they do not perform any other function in the hive. Drones have no sting. They are expelled from the hive before wintering. Unlike the bumblebee, bees always return to the hive after a flight, and bumblebees may not return to the nest, the connection between representatives of the same family is unstable.

The difference between insects in the behavior of queens: a young bee can fly out of the hive and lead away a swarm consisting of young individuals; the bumblebee flies out only in the spring to select the laying site.

In bees, not only females emerge from the egg laying, but also drones, regardless of whether the eggs are fertilized or not. The task of the bumblebee queen is reproduction. In the Apis mellifera family, there are nurse bees, in contrast to them, in bumblebees this role is performed by males.

The difference between bees and bumblebees lies in the way honeycombs are built, in the former they have the same volume and are made strictly along the line. In bumblebees, the arrangement of honeycombs is chaotic, of different sizes. Clogged in the form of a cone with honey, bees are distinguished by a flat surface. There is also a difference in the building material:

• Apis mellifera has only wax; propolis is used for gluing;
• large insects build honeycombs from wax and moss, propolis is not present.

Unlike bees, bumblebees are not aggressive. Only females are equipped with a sting; in males, genitalia with a chitinous coating are located at the end of the abdomen. Females rarely sting, in case of a serious threat to them. The bites of one individual of a bumblebee can be numerous, the bee dies after a bite, this is due to the structure of the sting. Bumblebee venom is less toxic than bees, but more allergenic. Unlike the queen bee, the bumble bee has a sting and it is possible to use it.

The development time of a bee differs from that of a bumblebee by approximately one week. A bee has a 21-day cycle: egg, larva, prepupa, pupa, adult. The bumblebee does not have a prepupal stage; it takes 14 days to develop to the adult state. The queen bee lays up to 130 thousand eggs per season, bumblebee only 400 pieces. The density of the bee family is about 11500 individuals, bumblebees in the nest are not more than 300.

Summary table of distinguishing characteristics between bee representatives:

Comparison of insects

Insects belong to the same species, bees differ radically from bumblebees. Not only in appearance and body structure, but also in habitat.

In appearance

Visual differences:

1. The coloration of bumblebees is more diverse than that of bees, this is due to thermoregulation and mimicry. The main species are bright yellow with black chaotic fragments, possibly stripes. Black bumblebees are less common. The entire surface, except for the eyes, is covered with a thick, long pile.
2. Unlike the bumblebee, the color of the bee is dark yellow with pronounced brown stripes along the abdomen. The main background may change depending on the species to darker or lighter, the presence of stripes is constant. The hair is short, poorly distinguishable on the upper part of the abdomen.
3. Unlike the bee, the bumblebee has a larger body size. Females reach 3 cm, males – 2,5 cm. The abdomen of the insect is rounded without concavity up or down. Females are equipped with a smooth sting without notches, which is retracted after a bite. The poison is non-toxic.
4. The bee grows within 1,8 cm (depending on the species), the drones are larger than the worker bees. The abdomen is flat, oval, elongated, concave downwards, at the end of the female there is a sting. A sting with notches, after a bite, the insect cannot remove it, it remains in the victim, and the bee dies.
5. The structure of the head in insects is similar, the differences are insignificant.
6. The structure of the wings is the same, the amplitude of movement is circular. Due to the well-developed pectoral muscles of the bumblebee, the movement of the wings is carried out more often than that of the bee, so bumblebees fly much faster.

Habitat

Bombus pascuorum tolerates low temperatures well due to its self-heating ability. The range in the Federation has spread to Chukotka and Siberia. The hot climate is not suitable for insects, bumblebees are practically not found in Australia. This feature distinguishes a bumblebee from a bee. The bee, on the contrary, prefers to settle in regions with a warm climate. In Australia, unlike Bombus pascuorum, a large number of insect species live.

Lifestyle difference:

1. Both representatives of bee flowers feed on nectar, bumblebees do not give particular preference to a certain type of plant, except for clover, they spend all day on food. They return to the nest for a short time to feed the queen and bring nectar for the brood.
2. Bees take less time to feed themselves, their task is to prepare raw materials for honey.
3. Bumblebees build their nests close to the ground in a layer of last year’s leaves, in the burrows of small rodents, less often in nests abandoned by birds, among stones. Bees – in the hollows of trees, between branches, less often in the attics of dwellings or mountain crevices. Insects do not build nests low to the ground. The difference between the internal arrangement lies in the location of the honeycombs and the building material used.

Quality and chemical composition of honey

Both types of insects produce honey. The product of a bumblebee differs from a bee in the concentration of active substances and consistency. Bee honey is much thicker, insects store it for the winter, the volume from the family is much larger, so people use bees to produce bee products. Chemical composition:

• amino acids;
• vitamin compounds;
• glucose;
• minerals.

Due to the higher water content, bumblebee honey has a liquid structure. The number per family is minimal. Does not have a long shelf life. At a positive temperature, the fermentation process begins. Bumblebees collect it from a larger variety of plants, so the concentration of the composition is much higher, unlike bee. Compound:

• carbohydrates (fructose);
• proteins;
• amino acids;
• potassium;
• iron;
• zinc;
• copper;
• set of vitamins.

Wintering

Apis mellifera live within a year, all members of the hive hibernate (except drones). Few of the old individuals remain, most of them die during the honey collection season. Only working individuals are engaged in harvesting honey for the winter. Specially allocated honeycombs are completely filled with honey, it should last until spring. After removing the drones from the nest, the bees clean the wintering place, with the help of propolis, all the cracks and the exit passage are sealed.

Unlike bees, Bombus pascuorum does not harvest honey. They collect it to feed their offspring. Males and working females take part in the process of honey collection. By winter, all adults, except for queens, die. Of the bumblebee females, only young fertilized ones hibernate. They fall into suspended animation and do not feed in winter. From spring, the life cycle continues.

Conclusion

The differences between a bumblebee and a bee are in appearance, habitat, in the distribution of responsibilities within the family, in the duration of the life cycle, in the quality and chemical composition of honey. Insect breeding has a different functional direction. Large representatives are only suitable for pollination purposes. Bees are used to produce honey, pollination is a secondary task.