Notes on the Hibernation of Several North American Bumblebees

• Published in: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
• Main Author: Plath, O. E.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 1927
• Subjects: Articles; Arctic
• Online Access: http://aesa.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/20/2/181; https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/20.2.181

Although our knowledge concerning the life-history and habits of the various species of bumblebees which inhabit the arctic regions and the Tropics is rather meager, it seems to be definitely established that the colonies of at least some of the tropical species are perennial (cf. von Ihering, 1903), while those of arctic species probably last only a month or two (cf. Friese und von Wagner, 1912, and Frison, 1919). In fact it has been suggested by Sparre-Schneider (1909) that some of the arctic species, e. g. Bremus hyperboreus and Bremus kirbyellus are solitary in certain parts of the far north. This hypothesis, though interesting, still lacks confirmation.