05/29/2026
Blooming flowers are bound to attract a bumblebee like this brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis), pausing to sample the pollen and nectar of this fragrant wild sage. Occasional sightings are reported from southern New Brunswick, but this bee doesn't have much presence in the Maritimes; conversely it is widespread further West (this picture is from Ontario) and South, being found in all but the extreme South of North America. Unlike many bumblebees, populations of brown-belted bumblebees are holding stable in the face of human-made pressures, and are even increasing in some areas, as they thrive in urban forest. They feed on a wide range of pollen sources, Though flowers that offer a sturdy platform or a profusion of nectar sources are preferred. In another difference to most bumblebees, males (drones) have a function beyond attending their Queen, and help incubate pupae in the nest while the workers forage.
In sharp contrast are the "cuckoo" bumblebees, which are solitary and don't form colonies. The adults look like colonial bumblebees and behave a lot like them too: visiting flowers for nectar, boasting black and yellow warning colours, droning along busily on summer days. But life's tough for a single bee in a harsh world, so what does a prospective cuckoo bumblebee parent do? The clue comes from their name - like the namesake bird, cuckoo bumblebees lay their eggs in the nests of other bees, and let the hapless colony raise their offspring. They are obligate parasites, which means if there aren't any colonies around, they can't raise their own young. For this reason they are declining at greater rates than social bumblebees.
From attentive fathers to dead-beat parents, bumblebees use a variety of life strategies to maintain their populations, though the majority of species are in decline in North America. Reducing tilling in fields and eliminating or reducing pesticide use, especially neonicotinoids, are the best ways to help bees at the landscape level, as well as protecting habitat where we can. In the urban forest, we can still reduce pesticide use (avoid spraying plants when they are in flower), but the best way to help bumblebees and other pollinators at risk is to provide food. Flowering native perennials and shrubs offer the best food resources for them, some of their favourites are blueberries, ninebark, bee-balm, black-eyed Susans , and New England asters - all of these have different bloom times, so you provide a continuous supply of blossoms for the bees, and since pollinated flowers produce fruit, you'll have some tasty blueberries as your reward for being a good bee steward!
