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Benefits of Bumblebees

Bumblebees are among the most charismatic of insects. Their robust frame and fuzziness combined with their charming habit of buzzing dutifully from flower to flower have brought joy to many of their onlookers. But why would you wish to step beyond these casual glances and actually handle these bees?

Some people raise bumblebees out of curiosity, wanting to see firsthand what happens in a bumblebee nest, as these events are normally hidden from our sight. Others rear bumblebees to learn more about the different species for scientific reasons, as there are vast gaps in our knowledge of the biology of most bumblebee species.

Most people raise bumblebees to benefit from their impressive pollination services, a service that is vital to both food production and the health of our ecosystem. With a large variety of problems afflicting the honey bee industry such as pests, pesticides, diseases, and poor financial returns, it is important to broaden the range of bee species used for commercial pollination.

Unlike honey bees, which were imported to the Americas by European colonists, there are many bumblebees that are native to North America. Having evolved along with our native plants, bumblebees are efficient and important pollinators of many native wildflowers and crops such as cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, squash, and melons.

One of the qualities that sets bumblebees apart from many other pollinators is a special behavior called "buzz pollination" that some flowers, such as tomatoes, require for pollination. During buzz pollination, bees grab the flower and shake it, releasing pollen that would otherwise remain trapped within the flower. Most other bees, including honey bees, are incapable of performing buzz pollination, so bumblebee colonies are used to pollinate most tomatoes grown in commercial greenhouses.

There are also rare native wildflowers that depend on bumblebees for pollination. As natural habitats become more fragmented by housing and other land developments, wild bumblebee populations are likely to decline and some native wildflowers may lose their pollinators. Without pollination, plants cannot produce seeds. Loss of native pollinators can lead to a decline in native plants, which means less forage for the remaining native pollinator species in the coming years, creating a vicious cycle. We can help break this cycle by planting natives in our gardens to ensure local bee populations have ample forage and raising native pollinators to ensure adequate pollination of these plants.

Although bumblebees are a common sight in most flower gardens, not all bumblebee species have adapted well to changes that have taken place in the landscape due to the spread of agriculture and urbanization. Several European countries have documented declines in their bumblebee populations with some species dwindling to extinction. North America is not far behind. It has been several years since anyone has seen Bombus franklini, a bumblebee native to the estern U.S., in the wild.

We need to learn from this tragedy and prevent further bumblebee declines from occurring in North America. We can help reverse this downward trend by learning more about the diversity and biology of local bumblebee populations. By providing suitable nesting and foraging sites, we can encourage our local bumblebee populations. Bumblebee rearing is a great tool for learning more about bumblebee biology and promoting bumblebee conservation.

Bumblebees are creatures of undeniable beauty and charm. You are sure to become fascinated while watching their interactions and marveling at the ever-changing sculptures of wax inside their nests.Observing the bumblebees you raised foraging in your fields or gardens will have a deeper meaning when you understand more about these avid pollinators.

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