Essay Sample on Bumblebees and the Importance of Pollination

A recent study has revealed that bumblebees can sense the electricity of a flower (Zakon). The positive charge of the bee accumulated during flight interacts with the negative charge of the flower causing its filiform hairs to move. When the charge is low, the bee’s hairs don’t move, letting it know the pollen has been collected by a previous visitor and it can move on to a different flower. The species native to North America first appeared between 30 and 40 million years ago. Out of the 250 species worldwide, 49 reside in the United States. On the contrary, honey bees were first brought to America in 1622. Some of the world’s most important crops, like potatoes, require a special type of pollination that can only be accomplished by bumblebees and very few other wild bees. Their unique features like long tongues and fuzzy bodies make them particularly proficient at pollination. With all their distinctive qualities, farmers should use bumblebees instead of honey bees for crop pollination.

Bumblebees have the ability to fly in various weather conditions. These bees have adapted a type of body function called thermoregulation, which is unusual for insects (Nixon). Thermoregulation is a process allowing the body of an organism to keep its core temperature even under extreme conditions. This helps these bees to control the heat spreading through their thorax and abdomen as they contract their muscles to fly. A book written by Mader, Spivak, and Evans, stated that “Honey bees are not very active at temperatures below 50°F (10°C), whereas bumble bees will continue to forage at temperatures as low as 45°F (7.2°C). While this difference may seem small, it can be significant for pollination” (Mader). There are certain flowers that only release their pollen in the early morning, for instance cucumbers, watermelon, and raspberries. This means that mornings are the most effective time for their pollination. Since mornings are usually cooler, bumble bees are more likely to be out giving them a longer work day so they can pollinate a larger number of flowers including ones that release pollen in the first hours of the day. Bumble bees also happen to maintain skillful flying in poor weather conditions. A study done by the Michigan State University Department of Entomology on Highbush Blueberries has shown that bumblebees were the main flower visitor during unfavorable weather. They discovered “Honey bees carried pollen with the same frequency regardless of weather, whereas bumble bees carried significantly more pollen during good than during poor weather. However, bumble bees were more likely to return with pollen than honey bees regardless of weather” (Tuell). Despite weather conditions, plants still require pollination. With their hardy build, bumblebees are able to fly out in those undesirable circumstances and continue pollination while honey bees are going to stay hidden in their hives. 

Bumblebees have special abilities that benefit vegetation. About 6% of all flowering plant species have anthers (part of the male flower holding pollen) that open through small pores (Vallejo-Marín). The way to pollinate these types of flowers is through vibrating the anthers. Bumblebees are one of the few types of bees that are able to achieve this through buzz pollination. “However, the most important supplemental bee pollinator, the honey bee, is incapable of vibrating flowers to remove pollen, and consequently may have a reduced effectiveness as a pollinator of buzz-pollinated plants” (Cooley). Some of our most important, globally consumed crops are buzz pollinated including but not limited to eggplants, tomatoes, kiwi, potatoes, blueberries, and cranberries. These crops are capable of self pollination but without bumblebees they will produce significantly less fruit which may not be meeting the world’s demand for that specific produce. Along with that, a new study has revealed that bumblebees can force plants to flower up to 30 days earlier by biting their leaves. Scientists tracked the time it took for a manually damaged plant compared to a plant damaged by the bee to flower and noted “…the acceleration of flowering elicited by bee-inflicted damage was substantial: In S. lycopersicum, the average flowering time of bee-damaged plants was 30 days earlier than that of undamaged plants and 25 days earlier than that of mechanically damaged plants” (Pashalidou). Rising temperatures due to global warming have caused many bees to emerge before plants have started to flower. With this leaf biting method, bumblebees are able to make the flowering process start earlier to get food for themselves. This causes the fruit to also appear soon.

Plants pollinated by bumblebees yield larger amounts of and larger sized fruit compared to honey bees. A study posted in the Journal of Applied Ecology showed that flowers visited by wild bees produced bigger strawberries than those from honey bees. “Overall, HB-visited flowers produced strawberries that weighed 42% less (mean ± SD, 7.47 ± 6.32 g) than WB-visited flowers” (Maclnnis).  Strawberries visited one time by a honey bee weighed roughly 8 grams compared to the 12 grams of one visited by a wild bee. Other research conducted has found that cherry tomatoes pollinated by wild bees, including bumble bees, produced more fruit. “Studies show that visitation by native bees increases fruit set by approximately 45 percent in sun gold cherry tomatoes, relative to wind pollination. Bee visitation also resulted in larger tomatoes. On average, the weight is nearly doubled. When native bees visit and vibrate these flowers, they not only cause the pollen to release, but they also often cross-pollinate the Plants” (Kremen). This may cease the need to use fertilizers and growth hormones. The fruit will naturally be large in size and quantity if pollinated by wild bees, including bumblebees.

Unfortunately, rising global temperatures are causing the bumblebee population to rapidly decline. They have already vanished from eight states including Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and Wyoming. Protecting these insects is crucial during times when crop demand is so high. Planting flora like rosemary, borage, oregano, foxgloves, red clover, lavender, meadow cranesbill, and hyssop in your backyard is an easy way to help contribute to the preservation of bumblebees.