**Description:** Large, fuzzy social bees with black and yellow stripes. They are much rounder and more hirsute than the common Honeybee.
**Size:** 0.5–1 inch long; Queens are significantly larger than workers and drones.
**Sexual Dimorphism:** Males (drones) have larger eyes and lack stingers; Workers (females) have pollen baskets and a defensive stinger.
**Behavior:** Masters of "buzz pollination," vibrating flight muscles to shake pollen loose from flowers like blueberries.
**Habitat:** Meadows and forest clearings; active even in cool, cloudy weather.