http://www.hansen-honey.com/bumblebees/index.php
This is interesting!
I found this on a website from a beekeeper in Central Illinois. Bees are very important but right now honey bees get all the media but there are actually many bees that do the job and these facts about bumblebees are inspiring.
Enjoy! Bill
Bumblebees are active at temperatures near 40°F (5°C), honeybees
become active at temperatures near 50°F
• Bumblebees are active on cloudy, foggy, and rainy days. Most don’t
shed pollen on rainydays.on
• Bumblebees will fly in winds of up to 40mph (64km/hr).
• Bumblebees pollinate flowers through a method called “buzz
pollination”, a rapid vibrating motion which releases large amounts of
pollen onto the bee. In most situations, “buzz pollination” will allow
a bumblebee to pollinate a flower in a single visit. A honeybee
typically also Buzz pollinate and have thousands of bees to do it.
• Bumblebees lack the sophisticated communication system of honeybees,
• Bumblebees are attracted to flowers with narrow corolla tubes, such
as blueberries and cranberries.
• Bumblebees are much more efficient pollinators than sweat bees. They
mainly forage for pollen rather than nectar, and transfer more pollen
to the pistils with each visit.
• Bumblebees promote higher rates of cross-pollination, like Honey Bees.
• Bumblebees visit many more blooms per minute than honeybees.
• Bumblebees work earlier in the morning and later into the evening hours.
• Bumblebees are safer for you and your employees.
• Bumblebees are non-swarming.
• Bumblebees can be used in conjunction with honeybees to enhance
pollination.