As a beekeeper, I am fascinated by so many bees and wasps that visit our gardens and help to pollinate our plants. Yet, sometimes, I find that folks often confuse honeybees with bumblebees. Both are simply adorable in my opinion but very different. At first, to many outsiders, a bee is just a bee. That would be like me saying a dog is just a dog. But in fact, there are many different breeds.
Of course, there are Italian, Carnolian, Russian, Hybrids, Australians, and many more breed of honeybees that certainly deserve a mention. But this post is about the differences between bumblebees and honeybees. The photo up above and this photo below are bumblebees. Aren’t they super cute? The best way you can tell bumblebees and honeybees apart is by their very different appearances.
They are skinnier and not as fuzzy. I still think they are cute but not as cute as those bumbles! Sorry girls.
They too have a queen but their homes consist of typically between 50,000 to 70,000 bees! The also cannot repetitively sting (except for their queen). Their stingers are barbed and they will sacrifice their life to protect their hive. Like bumblebees they are not aggressive unless directly threatened. They also overwinter their colonies.
Photo Credits: Tilly’s Nest
2 thoughts on “Honeybees vs. Bumblebees: Spotting the Difference”
Thanks for pointing out the differences. I never have gotten close enough to really look at them because I'm always screaming and running away. I must say the bumblebee is kind of cute :))
I knew there were different types, but never took the time to look into it. We generalize bees too, but after seeing a true bumblebee, I guess we just have honeybees around here.