Quarter of bumble bee species may soon be endangered in US

[beschizza]

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/09/22/quarter-of-bumble-bee-species.html
…

[JonS]

I have several questions about bumblebees.

1. where do they live? In a hive? In trees? Underground? Where?
2. are they communal (like bees), or solitary (like flies)?

I love the fuzzy little buggers, even though their stings cause me to swell up like the Michelin Man, but they’re mystery to me.

[Melizmatic]

And the “good news” just keeps a’comin’…

[chenille]

[quote=“JonS, post:2, topic:85928”]I have several questions about bumblebees.

1. where do they live? In a hive? In trees? Underground? Where?
2. are they communal (like bees), or solitary (like flies)?[/quote]
   Bumblebee nests vary but are usually in holes, for instance abandoned rodent burrows. They are social – note many bees aren’t – but the colonies are much smaller than honeybees and don’t survive from year to year. Instead they produce new queens and males at the end of the season, and after overwintering the former make new nests from scratch (or sometimes take them over).