Besides the more familiar honey bees that visit our landscape flowers, there are a number of other large bees that are considered good pollinators. Some, such as carpenter bees and leafcutting bees, can cause a few problems, as indicated by their names.

However, these bees, as well as bumble bees, are part of our important native pollinators, which help produce many of our crops.

Getting to know these commonly encountered insects will increase your appreciation of these essential creatures.

Bumble bees are probably as familiar to gardeners as honey bees. These large, social insects produce annual colonies. Queens hibernate and emerge in the spring to start a new colony.

Bumble bees often use abandoned rodent nests to set up their new nests. New workers that are produced eventually take over the duties of collecting pollen and nectar and defending the nest.