Bumblebees: behaviour and ecology

Citation

Goulson D (2003) Bumblebees: behaviour and ecology. Life Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Abstract
Bumblebees have always been favored subjects for scientific study, but research has accelerated in recent years. Many new discoveries have been made with regard to their ecology and social behavior. The last twenty years has seen the commercialization of bumblebee breeding or pollination, and the invasion of new parts of the globe by bumblebee species, with potentially far-reaching consequences. Despite this, there is a great deal that we do not know about bumblebees. Their nests are hard to locate, so that those of some species have never been found. Fundamental aspects of the behavior of many species, such as mating, have never been seen. Bumblebees are undergoing a widespread decline, but this has not yet caught the attention of the general public to the same extent as, for example, the plight of rare butterflies or birds. But bumblebees are probably of far greater ecological and economic importance than these groups because the pollination of crops and the survival of many wildflowers depend upon them. This book attempts to draw attention to the importance of conserving dwindling bumblebee populations. It synthesizes the current state of knowledge of the behavior and ecology of these fascinating and charismatic organisms, and identifies some of the many gaps that remain in hope of stimulating further research.