<Tr> <Td_colspan="2">> 250 species and subspecies </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Natural distribution shown in red . Introductions to New Zealand, spread to Tasmania not shown </Td> </Tr> <P> A bumblebee (also written bumble bee) is a member of the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families . This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., Calyptapis) are known from fossils . Over 250 species of bumblebee are known . They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America where a few lowland tropical species have been identified . European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania . The brood parasitic or cuckoo bumblebees have sometimes been classified as a subgenus or genus, Psithyrus, but are now usually treated as members of Bombus . </P> <P> Many bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen . The colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest . Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals . Cuckoo bumblebees do not make nests; their queens aggressively invade the nests of other bumblebee species, kill the resident queens and then lay their own eggs, which are cared for by the resident workers . </P>

Where do bumble bees live in the wild