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Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, are crucial factors in animal development. In some mammals, almost all DNA methylation is erased during embryo development and re‐established in a sex‐ and cell‐specific manner. This erasure and re‐establishment is thought to primarily be a vertebrate‐specific trait. Insects are particularly interesting in terms of development as many species often undergo remarkable morphological changes en route to maturity, that is, morphogenesis. However, little is known about the role of epigenetic mechanisms in this process across species. We have used whole‐genome bisulfite sequencing to track genome‐wide DNA methylation changes through the development of an economically and environmentally important pollinator species, the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera:Apidae Linnaeus). We find overall levels of DNA methylation vary throughout …