''Bombus medius'' is a species of
bumblebee. It is native to
Mexico and
Central America.
[Escobedo-Kenefic, N. 2015]
''Bombus medius''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 08 March 2016.
This species lives in lower montane
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
and
cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...
. It lives in protected areas containing natural forest remnants in areas where habitat has been lost. It does not occur in surrounding regions where intensive agriculture has spread. Habitat has also been lost to
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
,
mining,
pollution, and human settlement.
[ Some nests have been found in overgrown areas once cleared for agricultural purposes.][Rau, P. (1941)]
The nesting habits of ''Bombus medius'' Cresson, the Mexican bumblebee.
''Psyche'', 48(4), 166-168.
This bee creates its nest underground, in very shallow holes. It may use abandoned rodent burrows, sometimes with debris inside. The colonies are small; a nest noted in the literature had 27 workers.[ The eggs and larvae rest in a bed of moist ]pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...
. Once the young emerge from their cocoons, the old cocoon shells are enlarged with wax and used to store honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
.[
]
References
Bumblebees
Insects of Mexico
Insects of Central America
Insects described in 1863
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