What are bumble bees?
Bumble bees (right) are large (3/4"+), hairy, often colorful bees. They can be easily confused with carpenter bees. The best way to tell these bees apart is to look at the top of the abdomen. Bumble bees have a hairy upper abdomen while it is bare and shiny in carpenter bees.
Bumble bees live in small, social colonies where work is divided among colony members. Like other hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants), bumble bees are able to sting intruders in defense of their nest. Bumble bees feed on pollen and plant nectar much like honey bees.
See this excellent British Museum of Natural History site for photos, maps and distribution lists for bumble bees.
misspelling: bumblebee
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bumble bee on goldenrod; photo by David Cappaert, www.forestryimages.org
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