Fuzzy Bumble Bee

Bumble bees are incredible creatures that are vital to many ecosystems around the world. They live complex, social lives and impact many other species of plants and animals through their pollination. However, they are not nearly as well understood or appreciated by the public as other bees such as honeybees. Bumble bees are important pollinators because of their ability to perform something called buzz pollination. This is when some species of plants have their pollen inside a pod that must be vibrated in order to be released. Only some bees are able vibrate the flowers in this way, meaning those plants depend on bees such as bumble bees in order to reproduce.

The species I have chosen to depict is the Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens). This species is one of the most common bees in North America. This species is a vital part of the growth of many plants that require buzz pollination, such as tomatoes and blue berries. Large scale agriculture of these crops would be impossible without bees such as bumble bees.

This project started with my love of creatures that live in my backyard, and especially that bees that make that ecosystem possible. I wanted to see the furry adorableness of a bumble bee captured in Lego form, but could not find anyone online that had accomplished a realistic depiction of a bee that included the fur and textures on a bees body. I gave it a try to see if it was possible to do in Lego, and the result was better than I imagined.

Features I was able to capture include the mandibles, iridescent eyes, posable head, posable fuzzy legs, a pollen catch on one of the hind legs, fur on the back and shoulders, and posable wings.