Honey Bee and Bumblebee – What is the Difference?

What is the Difference between Honey Bee and Bumblebee?

Bees are similar but different in a number of ways. Bumblebees sting multiple times while honeybees only sting once. They sting by latching onto an object and trying to fly away. Both types produce wax honeycombs. Honeybee colonies can grow to 60,000 workers. In contrast to bumblebees, honeybees live in an artificial hive.

Honey bees are less aggressive than bumblebees

Honey bees are more tolerant of intrusion than bumblebees. Both species make honey, but the bumblebees tend to produce only a little and sleep through the winter. The bumblebee is bigger than a honey bee, but the difference in size is not as significant as it might seem. The difference in size is most evident when the bee is in the nest.

Although bumblebees don’t have the same numbers, they have the same weapon: stings. Bees have the ability to sting multiple times, but only a single sting is painful for the victim. Honey bees also produce fewer bees’ wax and honey than their bumblebee cousins, and stings from bumblebees are usually wasted on a glove. Honey bees are less likely to sting humans, but be careful around them if you’re allergic.

Unlike their cousins, bumblebees are relatively good-tempered. They warn people of imminent stings by ‘posturing’ – showing off their stinger before performing a sting. They are also smaller and less aggressive than honey bees and don’t tend to swarm at home. Unlike bumblebees, honey bees’ swarms are generally docile.

They make wax that melts at higher temperatures

Several bee species, including honeybees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, and orchid bees, make wax. The best producers are adult honeybees of 14 to 21 days old. However, some workers may produce wax as well. These insects may be confused with cuckoo bees, which do not produce wax, as they are dependent on a host species.

The different species of honey bees produce different types of wax. European wax is slightly less acidic and has antimicrobial properties. It is made by young worker bees from wax glands on their underside. These glands will gradually diminish as the bee grows, so older workers can step in to create wax. This wax has various uses, including candles and balms.

Beeswax is used for a wide range of applications, and wax sculptures are a valuable byproduct of beekeeping. The lost wax technique is a craft in itself and requires a good amount of study and practice. The materials for this process can include highly refined plasters, temperature-controlled ovens, gas torches, and locally available clays. Home-built furnaces can be used for smaller-scale production.

They collect nectar

Bumblebees and honey bees have contrasting methods of collecting nectar. Bumblebees typically collect nectar by lapping, which involves extending and retracting the glossa. The nectar is absorbed onto the glossa as the glossa extends, and then removed when the bee retracts. The rate at which these bees collect nectar determines the volume of nectar that is ingested per lap. Harder found that the amount of sucrose in the nectar was not related to the rate at which the glossa was extended.

Both types of bees collect nectar for various purposes. Beekeepers have observed that bumblebees are more specialized in collecting pollen than honeybees. In addition, honeybees and bumblebees collect both pollen and sugar solution at different times. In addition, honeybees have been observed to develop different foraging strategies as they grow older.

They do not lower the water content of their nectar

While it is not known whether honey bees and bumblebees decrease the water content of their pollen, both species store nectar for later use. However, unlike honeybees, bumblebees do not use an organized nest structure to store pollen and nectar. While the queen of both species hibernates alone throughout the winter, workers do not use an organized nest structure and would need to separate the pollen and eggs from the nectar to get the pollen.

In order to create honey, a sugar-containing compound called invertase is added to the nectar. Invertase breaks down sucrose molecules into glucose and fructose. This process produces the sweet flavor of honey. The sugar molecules in the nectar are not broken down completely, as they do in a human’s digestive system, and they must be converted into a sweeter form. Honey bees then cap the honey by exposing it to warm, dry air. The bees may move the waxed honey comb several times as the nectar undergoes the drying process.

Conclusion