Bumblebees, which are native to the US, also produce some honey. But
usually not more than enough to get the annual colony through a few days of bad
weather. Certainly nothing on the order of what's stored by the perennial
honeybee colonies. It tastes good, but is more dilute than honeybee honey,
and is stored in the open, leftover cases where bees pupated (except for the
initial honeypot made by the queen when she is starting the colony). I
doubt that Native Americans would have looked for bumblebee nests as a
source of this resource.
David W. Inouye
Dept. of Zoology, University of Maryland
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 301-405-6946