Bumblebee

Bumblebees are a group of large, robust, fuzzy-bodied bee species found mainly across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and parts of South America, distinguished from honey bees by their bigger size, dense hair and typically smaller, shorter-lived annual colonies founded each spring by a single overwintered queen. They are important pollinators of both wild plants and agricultural crops, and are notable for a technique called buzz pollination, in which powerful vibration of their flight muscles shakes pollen loose from flowers such as tomatoes that other pollinators cannot easily access. Bumblebee colonies are far smaller than honey bee hives, typically numbering from a few dozen to a few hundred workers, and many bumblebee species have experienced significant population declines linked to habitat loss, pesticide exposure and disease, with several species now considered threatened.