 Bumblebees have round bodies covered in soft hair ( long , branched setae ) , called pile , making them appear and feel fuzzy . They have aposematic ( warning ) coloration , often consisting of contrasting bands of colour , and different species of bumblebee in a region often resemble each other in mutually protective Müllerian mimicry . Harmless insects such as hoverflies often derive protection from resembling bumblebees , in Batesian mimicry , and may be confused with them . Nest @-@ making bumblebees can be distinguished from similarly large , fuzzy cuckoo bees by the form of the female hind leg . In nesting bumblebees , it is modified to form a pollen basket , a bare shiny area surrounded by a fringe of hairs used to transport pollen , whereas in cuckoo bees , the hind leg is hairy all round , and pollen grains are wedged among the hairs for transport . 
