Her lifespan can also shorten if the workers kill the queen.
Upon arrival, it’s likely that the parasites will spread to the other hibernating queens. Unfortunately, sometimes it happens that beekeepers find these queens and bring them to their facility. Some of these parasites aren’t fatal, but they may impact her ability to reproduce. These include types of internal and external fungus as well as external mites. Studies on bumblebee queens native to Turkey found that while the queen buries herself underground, she’s susceptible to various parasites. Her hibernation period is the first phase where she places herself in a vulnerable situation. The bumblebee queen, surprisingly, faces a lot of threats during her lifetime. There are those that can significantly shorten their lifespan. How long a bumblebee lives comes down to quite a few factors. The bumblebee is, unfortunately, no exception. What Can Affect the Lifespan of a Bumblebee?ĭiseases, accidents, bad luck - these are all factors that can affect the lifespan of almost any species. They will, instead, die within a couple of weeks, much like the workers. The males who failed to mate won’t go into hibernation like the queens. The male can fly as far as six miles from the nest in order to avoid interbreeding. This is so they won’t accidentally mate with a cousin or perhaps a sister. Upon maturing, they fly as far away as they can from the nest. Not all males are lucky enough to find a virgin queen, the competition is tough and they must outperform the other males. This is, of course, if they even manage to find and seduce a new queen. Their main purpose is to mate with other virgin queens and then die. The queen produces them at the same time as the new queens, but the males leave the nest and never look back. The male bumblebee is quite different from the queen and workers. The bumblebee worker, however, will die before or with the original queen, depending on when it matured. This species carries on the same colony by replacing the old queen, while all remain in the same hive. The bumblebee is very different from, for example, the honey bee. The queen bumblebee constantly produces more workers, who take over once the others die. The Bombus terricola, otherwise known as the yellow-banded bumblebee, is native to Canada and east to midwest America. These rarely make it to their three-week birthday no matter their role in the colony. One particular species, called Bombus terricola, generally has a much shorter lifespan. Workers usually live, on average, between two and six weeks, depending on the species and role.
There are two types of bumblebee workers, those that look after the nest, and others that gather pollen and nectar. The bumblebee worker’s lifespan depends a lot on the species and their role in the colony. This is a long lifespan, but she does spend much of it in hibernation.ĬC Image courtesy of allan_harris Worker Bumblebees The queen, on average, will live for about one year. The last batch of eggs includes new queens and males who’ll repeat the cycles of feeding, mating, hibernation, and laying eggs. The first batch is generally comprised of workers who will quickly take over the duties, so all the queen has to do is feed and lay eggs. She’ll guard her eggs closely and sit on them so they stay warm. This could be in a bird box, a hole in the ground, or even under a shed. Once spring comes around, she wakes up and begins her search for a safe nesting place, because soon she’ll start to lay eggs. Her lifespan begins late summer when she emerges from her cocoon and ventures out to find food and shelter for hibernation. The queen bumblebee is the creator and mother of the whole colony. Let’s take a closer look at the different roles and their average lifespan: The Bumblebee Queen It also comes down to the single bee’s role within the colony. The species that we find in tropical climates generally live longer than those in North America where the climate is harsher. Without them, there wouldn’t be enough insects to carry pollen between female and male flowers.Ī bumblebee’s lifespan depends a lot on the specific species and location. They’re a vital part of the survival of crops for our food. It doesn’t produce as much honey as the honey bee, even though honey is essential for its queen and brood.īumblebees are, however, important pollinators. The bumblebee is an important part of the environment. What Can Affect the Lifespan of a Bumblebee?.How Long Do Bumblebees Live on Average?.
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