Buff-Tailed Bumblebee Is Now Britain's Favorite Insect (PHOTOS)

The British voted the buff-tailed bumblebee their favorite insect, according to The Guardian, otherwise known as the humble-bee or large earth bee.

As the largest bumblebee species, buff-tailed bumblebees or Bombus terrestris are native to Europe, coastal north Africa, and west and central Asia, according to the Bumblebee Conservation. The queen bumblebee reigns as the biggest bee, adorning dirty orange or off-white colored hairs on her abdomen, while the male bumblebee is slightly smaller than his queen, with white hairs on its tail, black hairs on its face and a yellow nose. 

The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) polled the public in the United Kingdom from August through September to see which of 10 options of insects people loved the most.

There are more than 20,000 different bug species in the UK, but many are endangered and some are extinct, according to BBC News. As bumblebees are essential for agriculture because they pollinate wildflowers, plants and crops like tomatoes, the RSB hoped the contest would raise the profile of insects that are negatively impacted by climate change, pesticides and loss of habitat. 

A popular myth about bumblebees is that their bodies are so big that their tiny wings are too small to support flight. Yet biologist John Maynard Smith debunked this myth when discovering that bees hold an efficient muscle and wing system that allows them to beat their wings up to 200 times a second and even sustain flight while expending very little energy, according to the Bumblebee.org.

Dr. Rebecca Nesbit, entomologist and RSB member, helped to organize the favorite insect poll. 

"When lots of people think of conservation they think of pandas and the large species that need our help, but there are lots of people who do understand how important insects are for our lives. Many crops and wild flowers alike depend on bumblebees for pollination. They contribute to our economy, our countryside and the food we eat," Dr. Nesbit told The Guardian.

Furthermore, the RSB hoped the poll will encourage the public to plant "bee-friendly" plants and to avoid mowing flowers until late summer. It will also ask the British parliament to create a national program to monitor bee numbers.

For now, the Royal Society of Biology will "spend some time celebrating the buff-tailed bumblebee," BBC News reported.

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