It seems appropriate for American bumblebees to play their kind of music on this bugleweed (ajuga). Unlike other insects, bumblebees perform “buzz pollinations” – they grab the flower anther with their jaws (mandibles) and buzz by vibrating at the right frequency until the pollen floats free.
They probably play mostly “Taps” on these bugles because the typical pollinating bumble bee reportedly lives only about a month, while their queens live much longer to start next year’s colony, usually underground. They’re good pollinators, but (unlike honeybees) they don’t produce and store honey.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 3, 2025.) Apologies to the Beach Boys, creators of the hit ‘60’s song “Good Vibrations,” which had nothing to do with insects.