Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Another visitor to the garden.
Note the pollen sacs on the legs. In females, the hind legs each have a flattened, shiny area surrounded by long hairs. These "corbicula" serve as baskets to carry pollen, and you will see bumble bees buzzing about with enormous yellow/orange balls of pollen on their legs.

The common eastern bumble bee is a pollinator of flowers and numerous fruit and vegetable crops, including tomatoes, blueberries and cucumbers. Bumble bees have fur all over their bodies; these hairs collect and trap pollen which the bees carry from one bloom to another.

The common eastern bumble bee is so successful at pollinating fruit, that it has been introduced in the western U.S and overseas to help in crop harvests. The success of these programs is still being determined, as well as the harm that can be caused by releasing a non-native species.