Fuzzy and loud, the Common Eastern Bumble Bee is an industrious workhorse. Like other bumble bees, it flies from flower to flower, drinking its nectar and collecting its pollen. The pollen grains are inadvertently dusted onto the bodies of the bee where it will fall onto the pistils (female parts of the flower) of other flowers. Pollen grains are deliberately collected by the bee and placed into special pouches on its legs called pollen baskets. Once full, the Common Eastern Bumble Bee will return to its hive and deliver the pollen. The pollen is then taken to special cells to convert it into honey, which is used to feed larvae.
This social bee is able to fly at higher, colder altitudes thanks to its fuzzy coat. Like all insects, cold temperatures slow them down, so the extra bit of insulation gives them a slight advantage in cooler weather. Bumble bees are unable to survive cold winters, however, and all but the young queens-to-be die. In the spring, the young queens will lay her eggs and begin a new nest of bees.