These Bees Pack a Sonic Buzz
(But, do they ever get their tongues pierced?)

Bumblebees (Genus: Bombus) are among the most familiar of all insects. Their fuzzy black-and-yellow bodies, generally large size, and low rumbling buzz when in flight, are very difficult to miss. Many of us have memories from childhood of watching these gentle giants move from one bright flower face to another, carefully gathering pollen grains and sipping nectar along the way, gently rebuffing occasional pokes from inquisitive fingers.

A Bumblebee pollinates a Snapdragon while sipping nectar using its long tongue. A bumblebee's large size and strength allows it to push into flowers that have "trap door" entrances protecting their nectaries. [Photograph courtesy of Kurt Steuber.]

Despite my easy familiarity with bumblebees, I still consider myself lucky when I locate a bumblebee nest. They are typically found in abandoned mouse holes, but I have found their nests in all manner of objects, including attic insulation, compost piles, abandoned teapots and, particularly in birdhouses. Recently, I peered into a bumblebee nest in an abandoned chickadee nestbox. When I touched this precariously dangling nestbox, about one dozen small black bumblebees with yellow and orange markings exited the box. They buzzed inquisitively around my face for a few minutes before wandering off to pursue their pollen- and nectar-gathering activities for the day.

Bumblebees are native to the Americas, so they are important pollinators for native plant species, such as peppers, potatoes and raspberries. Bumblebees have longer tongues than domesticated honeybees, so they are capable of pollinating flowers that have long corolla tubes -- flowers such as foxglove and fuschia. The large size of bumblebees also makes it easy for them to push their way into flowers, such as snapdragons, that have "trap doors" or other barriers. Further, bumblebees begin visiting flowers early in the season when honeybees are still asleep.

Why are bumblebees such wonderful pollinators? As already mentioned, their greater size and tongue length are important assets. However, one of the most remarkable features about bumblebees is their unique ability to release tightly held pollen from many plant species (such as tomatoes) using sonic vibrations. This is also known as "buzz pollination." This method of pollination liberates pollen in a golden cloud that floats through the air. Most of the pollen lands upon the bumblebees' fuzz, allowing them to collect it into pollen baskets on their hind legs. Likewise, some of the pollen also lands upon nearby flowers, thereby guaranteeing a new crop of tomatoes for humans to enjoy. In fact, the vine-ripened tomatoes that you savor during our dreary Seattle winter months are pollinated by semi-domesticated bumblebees living in the same greenhouses with these tomato plants.

So, the next time that you sit down to appreciate a warm sunny day with a margarita and a bowl of chips and salsa, don't forget the debt that we owe to our often overlooked insect friend, the bumblebee.