Science Forums 2

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by Cedars

Native bees do not produce the honey like domestics (euro/asian types) do. They dont have hives, (except the bumble bee) and they have different habitat needs.

The classification of bumble bees as bees or wasps is uncertain. Although genetically related more closely to honey bees than to obvious wasps, they share the un-barbed, non-detachable, multi-use stinger commonly associated with wasps. Unlike wasps, however, they’re pollen-gathering honey-makers, not predatory insect-eaters.

Choosing which traits to use in classifying Hymenoptera can be tricky. I think the honey-maker vs. insect-eater distinction is most popular, though harder to determine, as you much watch the insect, not just examine its body, to make that determination (and, I’ve discovered, just because it’s hairy and covered in pollen doesn’t mean it’s not a predator).

A 1970s paper secondary school textbook of mine unambiguously states “bumble bees are wasps, not bees”. Though this may be due to a change in insect taxonomy since the book was written, I suspect it’s more due to poor scholarship on the part of its authors.

Although I’ve been unable to identify the species, my suburban Washington DC neighborhood is home to an insect that looks like a bumble bee, nests in the ground like a bumble bee, but is solitary, makes no honey, and preys on other insects. It’s also fast, seems to have excellent eyesight, and will mess with you!