🐝 Pollinator Spotlight: Common Eastern Bumble Bee 🐝
Don’t let its fuzzy appearance fool you—the Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) is one of North America’s hardest-working native pollinators.
Unlike honey bees, bumble bees are native to Georgia and have been pollinating our wildflowers for thousands of years. Their large, hairy bodies collect and transfer pollen with incredible efficiency, making them essential for healthy ecosystems and productive gardens.
🌼 Did You Know?
🐝 Common Eastern Bumble Bees can perform buzz pollination, vibrating flowers to release pollen that other bees can’t access. This makes them exceptional pollinators of tomatoes, blueberries, peppers, eggplants, and many native wildflowers.
🌿 How You Can Help
• Plant a variety of native flowers that bloom from spring through fall.
• Leave patches of undisturbed ground and brush where queens can nest.
• Avoid using insecticides, especially when plants are flowering.
• Let native plants like mountain mint, bee balm, goldenrod, asters, and ironweed provide the nectar and pollen they depend on.
Every spring, a single queen emerges from winter hibernation to build a new colony that may grow to hundreds of workers by late summer. By protecting native habitat and planting native flowers, you’re helping these remarkable pollinators thrive.
Together, we can create landscapes where bumble bees—and all pollinators—have a place to flourish.
Photo: Cornell University
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