Moscardón (bumblebee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moscardón (bumblebee) |
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The Bombus dahlbomii, also called the moscardón, is a type of bumblebee. It lives only in the cool forests of southern South America. This bee is one of the biggest bees in the world! Adult queens can grow up to 40 millimeters (about 1.5 inches) long. Because it's so big and furry, people sometimes call it a "flying mouse." One scientist even called it "a monstrous fluffy ginger beast"!
This special bumblebee lives in southern Chile and southern Argentina, including a region called Patagonia. Sadly, its numbers have dropped a lot. This started when other types of bumblebees, like Bombus terrestris and B. ruderatus, were brought to Chile. These new bees were used to help pollinate crops. The B. dahlbomii also faced problems from a tiny parasite called Apicystis bombi. This parasite came along with the new B. terrestris bees.
The B. dahlbomii is very important for its local ecosystems. For example, in the Maulino forest of central Chile, it's a main pollinator for native plants. These include beautiful flowers like Lapageria rosea and Alstroemeria aurea, which are also important for businesses.
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Discovering the Moscardón Bumblebee
This amazing bee was first described in 1835. A French scientist named Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville was the one who first wrote about it.
What Does the Moscardón Look Like?
The B. dahlbomii is mostly a bright red-orange color. Its middle part, called the thorax, is completely red-orange. Its back part, the abdomen, is usually a lighter orange. Like most bumblebees, its abdomen has a round tip. The bee's head, wings, and legs are black.
This bumblebee has short antennae. Its two main wings are usually tucked in flat over its body. The B. dahlbomii looks very furry because long hairs cover most of its body. Its legs and head have shorter hairs.
Female queens are quite heavy, weighing about 0.5 to 1.5 grams. They can be up to 4 centimeters long from head to tail. These measurements make B. dahlbomii one of the biggest bumblebees on Earth! This is why it earned the nickname "flying mouse."
Where Do Moscardón Bumblebees Live?
The B. dahlbomii is the only native bumblebee in southern South America. It lives in temperate forests from about 30 degrees south latitude all the way to the southern tip of the continent. It is found throughout Patagonia.
In Patagonia, it lives alongside two other bumblebee species, Bombus terrestris and Bombus ruderatus. These two species are not native to the area. The B. dahlbomii lives in forests where plants and flowers are found both close together and spread out. Bees in these different environments might look and act a little differently. While some reports say B. dahlbomii is found elsewhere, these claims are not proven. Its home range is quite specific compared to other South American bumblebees.
The Moscardón Bumblebee Life Cycle
A single B. dahlbomii queen starts a new colony in the spring. She looks for underground spots, like old rodent burrows, to build her nest. Like many other bumblebees, the queen first builds an egg cell. She makes this cell from a mix of pollen and wax that she collects from outside.
Then, the queen lays her first eggs in this cell. After a few months, in late spring or early summer, these eggs hatch into the first B. dahlbomii workers. These workers then take over the job of finding food from the queen. Later, male bees and new queens are born. This helps the colony cycle continue.
The time when the queen is alone without workers is called the subsocial phase. The social phase begins when the first eggs grow into workers. These workers can then start to find food. Studies show that B. dahlbomii nests can have more than 100 workers!
Queen Bee Behavior
B. dahlbomii queens are the ones who start new colonies. They fly out to find nectar and pollen. This food is used to feed the first group of young bees in the new nest. The queen stops looking for food once her first babies grow into full workers. These workers then take over the job of feeding their younger siblings.
After this, the queen's main job is to lay and care for the eggs. This helps the colony grow and make more workers. Once the workers start finding food, B. dahlbomii queens usually stay in the nest more often. However, they can still be seen outside the nest quite a lot.
How Moscardón Bees See Colors
Most bees cannot see the color red. Their eyes are better at seeing colors like UV, blue, and green. Because of this, bees usually avoid red flowers. Birds are often the ones that pollinate red flowers.
However, the B. dahlbomii is different! Even though it sees colors like other bees, it often visits red flowers. These include Crinodendron hookerianum, Lapageria rosea, Asteranthera ovata, and Embothrium coccineum. These red flowers are common in South American forests. This behavior is unusual for bees.
Scientists think B. dahlbomii can do this because it has a special way of seeing red. It uses a specific part of its eye system, called the L-receptor system, to detect and tell the difference in red colors. Research on this bee's eyes has changed how experts think about how bumblebees see light and color!
How Moscardón Bees Find Food
The B. dahlbomii collects both nectar and pollen from many different plants. These include Lapageria rosea, Alstroemeria aurea, Eucryphia cordifolia, Crinodendron hookerianum, and Embothrium coccineum.
These bees can fly both short and long distances to find food. They fly short distances when there are lots of plants close to their nest. They fly long distances in places like scattered forests where food is harder to find. Long-distance foragers also have to deal with tougher weather, like strong winds.
In general, B. dahlbomii spends more time on each flower than other bumblebees. Scientists believe this is because of its larger size and heavier body. This makes it harder for them to move quickly. Also, their relatively short tongues might stop them from collecting food very fast.
Moscardón Bumblebees and Other Species
Dealing with Invasive Species
In parts of South America, like Chile and Patagonia, the B. dahlbomii lives and competes with two other bumblebee species: Bombus terrestris and Bombus ruderatus. These two species were brought to Patagonia about 30 years ago. They were meant to help farmers grow more fruits and seeds.
When these new bees were brought in, people did not realize how much they could spread. Large numbers of them were released without many rules. Over the last 30 years, B. terrestris and B. ruderatus have harmed the native B. dahlbomii. As these new species spread south at speeds of up to 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) per year, the B. dahlbomii numbers have gone down.
Why Moscardón Numbers Are Declining
The decline of the B. dahlbomii population is linked to the arrival of these new species. However, scientists are still trying to fully understand why. Research suggests that the new bees have a competitive edge. They are better at moving around, flying further for food, and producing more queens.
Also, B. dahlbomii queens start their colonies later in the season than B. terrestris queens. This gives B. terrestris a head start, which further hurts the B. dahlbomii population.
The Problem of Parasites
The B. dahlbomii populations have also been badly affected by a harmful protozoan called Apicystis bombi. This parasite came along with the B. terrestris bees when they were brought to South America. Before the early 1980s, A. bombi was not found in South America.
While A. bombi does not harm the commercial B. terrestris bees much, it is very bad for B. dahlbomii. When it arrived, A. bombi started infecting B. dahlbomii bees. This happened because the parasite can infect many different types of hosts. In its native Europe, it affects over 20 bumblebee species.
How the Parasite Harms Bees
B. dahlbomii bees, both workers and queens, get infected when they eat tiny parasite eggs called oocysts. Once eaten, these oocysts grow inside the bee's intestines and then move to its fat cells.
The A. bombi parasite harms B. dahlbomii in several ways. First, it stops new colonies from forming by preventing new workers or young bees from growing. If there are active workers or queens, the parasite causes many problems with their bodies and behavior. This stops them from doing important things like finding food. Sadly, B. dahlbomii bees have very little ability to fight off this disease.
Clever Mimicry in Nature
Some flies in Patagonia and southern Chile, like the Aneriophora aureorufa, look a lot like B. dahlbomii. This is an example of Batesian mimicry. The fly copies some features of the B. dahlbomii's body and behavior.
For example, B. dahlbomii and A. aureorufa have similar colors and sizes. They can even be hard to tell apart in the wild because they fly in similar ways. This strong resemblance shows how quickly A. aureorufa's body must have changed over time. The B. dahlbomii species only appeared about 7.5 million years ago.
This mimicry means that B. dahlbomii has an advantage in avoiding predators. Predators might think the fly is a stinging bumblebee and leave it alone. The A. aureorufa fly "steals" this advantage by looking like the bumblebee, which helps it survive.
Moscardón Bumblebees and Their Environment
Pollination Power
The B. dahlbomii is a vital pollinator for many plants in Chile and Patagonia. These include Lapageria rosea and Alstroemeria aurea. In some areas, like the Maulino forest in Chile, this bee is super important. It makes sure that scattered plant populations get pollinated.
Studies show that bees in these scattered forests have longer wings compared to their body size. This is because they need to fly longer distances to find food. So, bees with longer wings are more successful in these areas.
Overall, B. dahlbomii has been shown to be a much better pollinator than other types of bees. Even though B. dahlbomii is a more effective pollinator than the invasive B. ruderatus, it visits plants less often than the invasive bee.
Current Status: An Endangered Species
Sadly, the B. dahlbomii is now in danger of disappearing forever. In 2014, a newspaper called The Independent reported that this species is endangered. This is due to the arrival of the two invasive bee species mentioned earlier.
Scientists are very worried. They fear that if more European bee species are brought to South American countries, it could completely destroy native species within a few years. This special bee is now listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
See also
In Spanish: Abejorro chileno para niños
