What sound does a Bumblebee make?

A Bumblebee makes two types of sounds: one type of sound is low-pitched and the other type of sound is high-pitched. One type of sound we can hear when a Bumblebee is flying and the other type of sound we can hear when a Bumblebee is on a flower collecting pollen.

When a Bumblebee is flying, it makes a low-pitched, buzzing sound. The sound comes from its thorax muscles, which moves its wings rapidly. The rapid movement creates vibrations. The vibrations make a buzzing sound.

When a Bumblebee is collecting pollen from a flower, it makes a high-pitched squeaking sound. The sound occurs when the Bumblebee is trying to release pollen from a flower. 

Very few bees make this high-pitched sound, but the Bumblebee does. The sound is called buzz pollination.

The buzz pollination, or buzz sonication, occurs when a Bumblebee uses its thorax muscles to vibrate its body. Its wings do not move or spread out; its wings stay next to its body. The Bumblebee’s body vibrates when it is sitting on a flower to collect pollen because it is shaking the flower to release pollen. This shaking makes the pollen come loose so that the Bumblebee can collect it in its pollen sacs on its legs. The vibration of a Bumblebee’s body makes a high-pitched sound.

Location of photographs: Romilly, France 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM