In a message dated 3/17/00 10:49:28 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<<The long tongue of the bumbles is a big advantage here
where red clover is the predominant forage crop grown.>>

   "In some species (of bumblebee) the tongue can reach a length equaling 85
percent  of the bee's body length. Even the bumblebees classified as
short-tongued bees have tongues reaching 50 to 60 percent of their body
length."
— From Humblebee Bumblebee, (1997) by Brian Griffen