Cuckoo bumblebees were previously classified as a separate genus, but are now usually treated as members of Bombus.īumblebees have round bodies covered in soft hair (long branched setae) called 'pile', making them appear and feel fuzzy.
Cuckoo bumblebees are brood parasitic and do not make nests or form colonies their queens aggressively invade the nests of other bumblebee species, kill the resident queens and then lay their own eggs, which are cared for by the resident workers. The colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest. Most bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., Calyptapis) are known from fossils. Introductions to New Zealand, spread to Tasmania not shownĪ bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families.
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