One of the biggest reasons that I allow patches of native plants to grow in my yard is for the wildlife that they attract. One of the prettiest ones and one that attracts loads of pollinators is the blackjack or hairy begarticks. It’s always loaded with butterflies, bees, wasps, ants, moths, beetles, and other things. It’s always an adventure to just go wander around in my own yard. One of the pollinators that I’ve seen in large numbers this summer and fall is the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens). It is the most common bumblebee in Eastern North America and it is tremendously important as a pollinator for many, many crops and wildflowers. It’s well known for being one of the primary pollinators of tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, apples, thistles, roses, goldenrod, and many, many more.

Like most bees, common eastern bumblebees are very social with a well organized social structure. Each bee has it’s duties and when all of them do their individual duties, the nest thrives. The common eastern bumblebees build their nests in underground burrows that have been abandoned by small rodents. Their nests can be between 1-3 feet below ground with a long tunnel that leads to the actual nest. Unlike honey bees, these guys don’t use wax to build their egg hatcheries. Instead, they use balls of fur and soft plant material into which the queen lays the eggs. The hatchery is located in the center of the nest and extends out from there. The hatchery is usually tended by the small workers in the colony, while the larger workers are the ones who go out and collect pollen and nectar and guard the nest.

One of the reasons that common eastern bumblebees are such effective pollinators is that they are “buzz pollinators”. “Buzz pollinators” vibrate their bodies at a frequency that allows certain plants to release their pollen. That buzzing is also one of the easiest ways to follow one of these guys from flower to flower. The other reason that these particular bumblebees are such efficient pollinators is that they tend to follow a “trapline” pattern while searching for food. This allows them know which plants are the productive ones and which plants have already been visited. These bees also seem to be capable of communicating to each other where to look for resources and what areas have already been searched.

The fact that common eastern bumblebees are such incredible pollinators has lead to people to raise them for sale to the agricultural community. This has lead to them expanding their range into some parts of the western United States, especially California. Unfortunately, the common eastern bumblebee is highly adaptable and can be hard on native species in the new areas they are colonizing. The population of the common eastern bumblebee is stable, but the populations of many other types of bumblebees are declining due to loss of food sources and use of insecticides. Many of these bees are either threatened or endangered, and their populations do not need the pressure of having to compete with the common eastern bumblebee.

Right now the blackjack flowers are beginning to go by, and the temperatures are starting to get cooler at least at night. It won’t be long before the flowers are completely gone, and with them, the pollinators will be gone. Before that happens next years queens will breed and then go into hibernation until spring. When our first frost comes along it will kill the rest of the colony and that will be it for the common eastern bumblebees until spring. To me this seems a bit harsh, but I guess it works for the bees.

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