Anthophoridae Leafcutting Bees Megachilidae Digger or Threadwaisted Wasps Sphecidae Bumble Bees Bumble bees are stout-bodied, robust shaped insects with black or gray hairs variously tinged with yellow, orange or red. Also, there are spurs at tips of the hind tibiae and the abdomen is usually hairy. Both the queens and workers can inflict a painful sting. Only new queens, produced and mated in the fall, overwinter in loose bark, hollow trees or other dry protected places. They come out of hibernation in May, usually nest in old nests of field mice, holes in the ground, old stumps, abandoned mattresses, old bales of straw or hay in barns, cornhusks in corncribs, along foundations, etc.
Colonies are annual, lasting only one summer.
There are usually less than 200 individuals in a colony and nests are generally found in open grasslands. The queen establishes the nest site by lining an existing cavity with dry grass or moss. The first brood of spring numbers 5 to 20, all workers, who enlarge the nest, gather food and feed the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer and by late summer, reproductive males and females are produced. These mate during flight and fertilized females move to overwintering sites.