Knowra Bumblebee Bumblebee A robust bee in the genus Bombus that lives in annual colonies and pollinates many wild plants and crops. Its dense hair and ability to warm its flight muscles help it forage in cool conditions.
Thermoregulation in insects : The processes insects use to regulate body temperature through behavior and physiology. Bumblebees warm their flight muscles to fly in cool weather.
Greenhouse pollination : The use of pollinators to transfer pollen among crops grown under controlled greenhouse conditions. Commercial bumblebee colonies pollinate greenhouse tomatoes and other crops.
Bombus : A genus of large, hairy bees that includes all bumblebee species. Bumblebee is the common name for bees in this genus.
Honey bee : A social bee, especially Apis mellifera, that forms perennial colonies and stores large quantities of honey. Unlike bumblebee colonies, honey bee colonies can survive across multiple years.
Buzz pollination : A pollination method in which a bee vibrates a flower to release pollen from its anthers. Bumblebees use flight-muscle vibrations to free pollen from flowers such as tomatoes.
Tomato : A fruit-bearing plant cultivated worldwide, whose flowers release pollen through poricidal anthers. Bumblebees' buzz pollination makes them effective pollinators of tomato flowers.
Apidae : A diverse bee family that includes honey bees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, and many solitary bees. Bombus belongs to this broad bee family.
Mason bee : A solitary bee in the genus Osmia that nests in narrow cavities and provisions brood cells individually. Mason bees illustrate a solitary nesting strategy unlike bumblebee colony life.
Eusociality : A social system marked by cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and reproductive division of labor. A bumblebee colony has reproductive queens and workers cooperating in brood care.
Commercial bumblebee rearing : The breeding and production of bumblebee colonies for pollination services. Managed colonies supply pollinators to greenhouses and some outdoor crops.
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