Bumblebee Gathering Pollen from Thistle

Early fall can be a hungry time for bees and other pollinators. Many of their usual food sources have died or are slowly disappearing. Honeybees are working overtime to collect enough nectar to feed and maintain the colony throughout the winter. Bumblebees are finding food and collecting pollen from late-season blooms like native thistle, goldenrod and asters.

The back legs of the bumblebee are the all-important body part for collecting and carrying pollen back to the nest. Their tibia (think of your calf bone) is flat and somewhat convex, shiny and surrounded by long, stiff hairs. This forms what is called a “pollen basket”—where the pollen goes that has been scraped off of the bee’s fuzzy body by their middle legs. Do you see the pollen baskets on the bumblebee in the video?

Видео Bumblebee Gathering Pollen from Thistle канала Belwin Conservancy