Meet one of Georgia’s pollination superheroes

Yes, the Western honey bee is Georgia’s state insect. Yes, thousands of managed honey bee colonies are hauled in by the truck load to help pollinate crops across the state each year. No doubt honey bees are important — but they aren’t the only insects helping to feed us. 

Meet the humble bumble bee, one of Georgia’s native pollinators and a member of the more than 540 bee species found in our state. These fuzzy flying gardeners possess two superpowers that make them uniquely valuable for farms and gardens that grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cranberries, watermelon or rabbit eye blueberries. Without bumble bees and other native buzz-pollinating bees, these crops would produce fewer fruits and seeds.

Superpower #1: Bumble bees can buzz pollinate

Some plants keep their pollen locked inside specialized structures called poricidal anthers. Honey bees can visit these flowers, but they cannot effectively release the pollen. 

But a female bumble bee can force the pollen out of the anther. She grasps the pollen-producing structure of the flower, disconnects her flight muscles from her wings, and then vibrates them hundreds of times per second. This vibration creates a high-pitched “buzz” that acts like a tuning fork and causes the trapped, heavy pollen to spill out of pores in the plant’s anther and coat the bee’s body. Imagine children erratically shaking a container of glitter and then tracking it everywhere they go. 

The next time you see a bumble bee on a flower, listen closely. You may hear the distinctive buzz of a bee vibrating its flight muscles to shake loose pollen. It’s one of nature’s most remarkable pollination techniques, one that honey bees cannot perform. 

Superpower #2: Bumble bees work in tough weather

Bumble bees are larger and hairier than honey bees, allowing them to stay active in cooler temperatures, cloudy weather and even light rain. While honey bees may remain in the hive waiting for better conditions, bumble bees are often already at work collecting nectar and pollen. 

These flying gardeners may not make honey, but they help keep Georgia’s gardens, farms, and landscapes blooming.  

Bumble bee or honey bee?

Bumble bees are the “flying teddy bears” of the bee world. They are larger, rounder, and much fuzzier than honey bees. Their bodies are densely covered with yellow and black hairs, although some species may have orange or reddish markings.

Honey bees are smaller and slimmer, with golden-brown hairs and distinct amber-and-black stripes. Their abdomen is bald and shiny.  Think of them as a flying race car. 

Honey bees live in large colonies that may contain 50,000 individuals. However, a bumble bee nest may have a few hundred. Bumble bees must start over every spring. Most die out in fall, leaving only newly mated queens to survive the winter and start new colonies the following spring.

For more information

What can you do to encourage bumblebees in their important work? Here are three important publications to help you make your landscape bumble bee friendly.

Creating Pollinator Nesting Boxes to Help Native Bees | CAES Field Report

Build native bee nesting sites to attract pollinating bees to your landscape | CAES Field Report

The Buzz About Bees: Bumblebees Have a Lot to Offer | CAES Field Report

Rosann Kent is a Bibb County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service provides resources for gardeners as well as educational services and community support. Visit their office at 715 Oglethorpe Street, call them at 748-310-5350 or email their staff at bibb.extension@uga.edu.