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Bumblebee

The bumblebee has a very round and large body compared to the bee or wasp. On its back it usually has yellow-black stripes, but these are not so visible because it´s back is also covered with small hairs. Bumblebees exist as workers, drones and queens. A queen bumblebee can reach a size of 15 to 23 mm. Workers and drones grow to be about 8 to 21 mm long.

Occurrence

Bumblebees belong to the true bee family and feed exclusively on pollen and nectar. A colony can grow on average to contain between 50 to 600 bumblebees. The majority of the animals in a colony are workers. Among them there are also males and young queens. Males and workers reach the age of 3 to 4 weeks. The queen, on the other hand, can live up to 12 months. In spring, bumblebees are already found at about 2-6 °C. In comparison, bees are on the move from only about 10 ° C. Bumblebees build their nests mostly from moss, plant fibers and mouse hair. Bumblebees pollinate flowers and plants just like bees and wasps and are therefore under very strict protection. Bumblebees are peace-loving animals, but they should still not be underestimated by allergy sufferers.

Offspring

They lay their eggs in their nest and if it is too cold, they hatch them. After a few days the first bumblebees hatch. After 2 to 3 weeks the bumblebees are fully grown and start pollinating flowers.

Danger of the allergy

If you have an allergy to bumblebee venom, you should be careful. This is because as soon as bumblebees feel threatened, they go on the attack. If an allergy to bees has already been established, one should also behave more cautiously towards bumblebees, because the poisons of bumblebees and bees are related by similar proteins and peptides.