We could hear a buzzing sound all the way down the hill! We found her by stumbling from flower to flower. A gentle bumble bee among our flower pots. She’s one of the most important pollinators for crops as a native bee species. Join us as we compare the honey bee vs bumble bee in our study today. Add our FREE Honey Bee Bumble Bee Venn Diagram and activities to your nature notebooking.
Bumble bees and honey bees are two common bee species found buzzing around gardens and farms. Though they may look similar at first glance, bumble bees and honey bees have distinct differences when it comes to their appearance, behavior, nesting habits, and more.
Understanding the key distinctions between bumble bees and honey bees will help you identify them, learn about their lifestyles, and determine if they are helpful pollinators or problematic pests.
How to Tell Bumble Bees and Honey Bees Apart Visually
Bumble bees and honey bees vary in several physical traits
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Body shape: Bumble bees have plump, round bodies covered in fuzzy hair. Honey bees have more slender, oval-shaped bodies with minimal hair.
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Size Bumble bees measure 0,4 to 16 inches in length Honey bees are smaller at around 0,4 to 0,6 inches long,
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Color: Bumble bees are black with bright yellow stripes. Honey bees are golden brown with black stripes.
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Head: Bumble bees have black heads with yellow hair. Honey bee heads are more golden brown.
Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to identify a bumble bee versus a honey bee just with a quick glance. The thick, fuzzy body of the bumble bee is the most obvious giveaway.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Differences
Bumble bees and honey bees behave differently:
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Social habits: Bumble bees live in small colonies of a few hundred. Honey bees have hives with up to 60,000 members.
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Communication: Honey bees dance to give each other directions. Bumble bees don’t dance.
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Defensiveness: Bumble bees are very defensive of their nest. Honey bees rarely sting unless threatened.
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Pollination: Bumble bees perform buzz pollination by vibrating muscles to shake pollen loose. Honey bees don’t.
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Activity in cold weather: Bumble bees forage in much cooler temperatures than honey bees.
Nest Location Preferences
Bumble bees always nest underground in abandoned holes and cavities. Nests are hidden and hard to find. Honey bees build wax hives out in the open in trees, man-made hives, etc.
Diet and Feeding Habits
Both bumble bees and honey bees feed on nectar and pollen. Bumble bees use their jaws to scrape pollen off flowers while honey bees use specialized pollen baskets on their legs.
Beneficial Pollinators vs. Pests
Bumble bees and honey bees are extremely valuable pollinators for gardens, farms, and wildlife areas. As they gather food, they transfer pollen between plants.
However, honey bees can sometimes cause issues by outcompeting native bees. And bumble bees may sting aggressively if their underground nest is disturbed.
Discouraging Bees Around Your Home
To deter bees:
- Install traps around your property
- Seal any holes and cracks in wood or masonry
- Avoid planting lots of flowering plants bees love
- Use natural repellents like smoke, mint oil, or vinegar
- Call a professional to remove problem nests
It’s easier to exclude honey bees since their hives are visible. Removing underground bumble bee nests is more difficult. Often it’s best just to leave them alone.
Key Differences Between Bumble Bees and Honey Bees
- Bumble bees are larger, fatter, and fuzzier than honey bees
- Bumble bees live in small underground colonies, honey bees have massive above-ground hives
- Honey bees produce surplus honey, bumble bees produce only small amounts
- Bumble bees are more effective pollinators than honey bees
Now that you understand the differences between bumble bees and honey bees, you can identify them, interpret their behaviors correctly, and take appropriate actions if they become a nuisance. A bit of knowledge goes a long way in appreciating the role bees play in nature while preventing any problems they may cause around your home or farm.
Bumble bees nest underground and are less social than honey bees
Wild honey bees like to build elaborate nests above ground to protect themselves from predators. You might find them high up in a tree, or under the ledge of your house. Their hives are very well put together, with neat little hexagonal cells that the worker bees build with great skill. It is truly an amazing piece of engineering! Thousands of honey bees live together in a colony. Each has their own job based on their age and work together to create a thriving family.
Bumble bees usually build their nests underground, usually in an old field mouse burrow or a crack in the foundation of a house. A few bumble bees come up from our basement every spring as they wake up from their winter sleep. We live in an century home with a stone foundation. The bumble bees love to find the spaces between the stones to build a home. Some honey bees may live in the same hive for many years. But bumble bees build a new nest every spring. The queen is the only one that makes it through the winter. When the weather gets warmer, she comes out to find a new place to nest. You’ll see her flying low to the ground in a zig zag search for the perfect spot. Once she’s found it she will begin building wax ‘pots’ to lay her eggs. She fills it with nectar and pollen for the larva to eat once they hatch. As soon as she has a few worker bees to help her, the queen will stop looking for food and simply lay eggs. The worker bees take over all the other responsibilities of foraging, nursing the young, and defense. Jobs are randomly assigned based on the colony’s need, which only has a few hundred members. Watch this video by David Goulson for a look inside a bumble bee nest. How is the structure of a honey bee vs bumble bee nest different?.
What’s the difference between a honey bee and a bumble bee?
What is a Bumblebee Insect? It’s vs – A Bumblebee vs Honeybee Showdown!
FAQ
How is a bumblebee different from a honey bee?
Do bumble bees make honey?
Are bumble bees more aggressive than bees?
Can bumble bees sting you?
What is the difference between a bumble bee and a honey bee?
The bumble bee is known more for its loud, low buzz, while the honey bee is known for the nectar syrup we like to drizzle on our favorite pastries. There are other differences between bumble bees and honey bees, some subtle and others glaring, that we shall explore as well. One major difference between a bumble bee and a honey bee is their looks.
Are bumblebees a honeybee?
Bumblebees harvest nectar and pollen from flowering plants. Bumblebees and honeybees are quite different from one another but are easy to mix up if you don’t know the differences. They both have cute names and are docile bees. Here are some of the key things to look for when you next see these bees in your garden: 1. Honeybees are more Social
Do honey bees compete with bumblebees?
The competition between honey bees and bumble bees had no consistent winner, highlighting the importance of plant diversity to the coexistence of bees species. Read the research here> This article explains the differences between honey bees and bumble bees.
Are honey bees better than bumblebees?
Honey bees aren’t as efficient at doing their job as bumble bees. They will flit from one food source to the next, communicating with each other to jump to the best available pollen supply. Bumble bees are stayers. They’ll remain in one area, thoroughly seeking out every bit of food available.
Are bumble bees bigger or smaller?
Among the different types or races of honey bees – you will not find a lot of size variation. While bumble bees tend to be larger, there are more than 250 bumble bee species and they come in all sizes. Yet, bumbles are rounder in shape and much fuzzier than honey bees.
Do bumblebees make honey?
Bumblebees make little honey, but are more known for their loud buzzing and the way they “bumble” around, slowly pollinating flower after flower. You might watch these bees fly peacefully through a garden or field, taking their time interacting with each plant.