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Bumble Bee Pocket Guide Thanks to Dr. Robbin Thorp, UC Davis. UC Thorp, Robbin Dr. to Thanks Guide developed and illustrated by Elaine Evans, The Xerces Society. Xerces The Evans, Elaine by illustrated and developed Guide Bombus appositus Bombus Bombus morrisoni Bombus Funding for bumble bee conservation provided by the CS Fund. CS the by provided conservation bee bumble for Funding Bombus melanopygus Bombus Bombus bifarius Bombus Visit www.xerces.org/bumblebees for more information. more for www.xerces.org/bumblebees Visit Bombus occidentalis Bombus , please contact [email protected] contact please , find you If FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION INVERTEBRATE FOR S X T OCIETY ERCES HE B. occidentalis B. populations. remaining will use this information to promote conservation of of conservation promote to information this use will www.xerces.org/bumblebees Society and scientists studying bumble bee decline decline bee bumble studying scientists and Society will help document their current range. The Xerces Xerces The range. current their document help will P h o in recent years. Your efforts to search for this bee bee this for search to efforts Your years. recent in t o b y D e Found in the mountains and northern areas northern and mountains the in Found r Columbia to central California have nearly disappeared disappeared nearly have California central to Columbia r Bombus huntii Bombus mixtus Bombus i c k D historic range, but populations from southern British British southern from populations but range, historic i t c h still be found in northern and eastern parts of their their of parts eastern and northern in found be still b u n the western United States and Canada. They can can They Canada. and States United western the n i r n The western bumble bee was once commonly found found commonly once was bee bumble western The (edwardsii) (nearcticus) Bombus melanopygus Bombus Bombus bifarius bifarius Bombus Map based on Milliron of the Western Hemisphere Bumblebees. Bombus griseocollis Bombus nevadensis Bombus 1971 B OMBUS OCCIDENTALIS OMBUS Found in coastal areas coastal in Found , A Monograph BUMBLE BEE BEE BUMBLE For more identification information, visit www.discoverlife.org and www.bugguide.net www.bugguide.net and www.discoverlife.org visit information, identification more For THE WESTERN WESTERN THE commonly found bees are pictured here. Some species pictured have varieties with different coloration. coloration. different with varieties have pictured species Some here. pictured are bees found commonly POCKET GUIDE TO IDENTIFYING IDENTIFYING TO GUIDE POCKET There are around 30 bumble bee species present in western North America. Females of some of the most most the of some of Females America. North western in present species bee bumble 30 around are There orth America orth N western of bees bumble common ther O of range istoric H Bombus occidentalis Bombus Male or female ? Common female Similar female bees with Similar female bees with yellow Females have 6 abdominal segments versus 7 in males. Bombus occidentalis varieties yellow on the head on the 4th abdominal segment Females have 12 antennal segments versus 13 in males. Female hind legs are wider than male hind legs. Bombus vandykei Bombus caliginosus female abdomen male abdomen 6 segments 7 segments Northern California to Central coastal British Columbia, California Bombus californicus Bombus suckleyi (cuckoo bee) east to Montana female antenna male antenna 12 segments 13 segments female hind male hind leg wider leg thinner Bombus vosnesenskii Bombus insularis (cuckoo bee) Females are found through spring, summer and early fall. These look-a-like bees have prominent yellow hair Bombus fernaldae Workers and queens are both female. Males can be on the face, as opposed to B. occidentalis with all (cuckoo bee) common in late summer and early fall. Females have black hair on the face. These look-a-like bees have yellow hair on the 4th pollen baskets (an indentation onto which they sometimes Rocky Mountains to Alaska abdominal segment, as opposed to B. occidentalis pack pollen) on their hind legs, and shorter antennae These three varieties of B. occidentalis represent the and abdomens. Males sometimes have larger eyes and with black or white hair on the 4th abdominal most commonly found color patterns. Some bees longer hair. Bumble bees pictured and described in this segment. guide are all female bees. are intermediate between these varieties. Yellow-headed bee Black-headed bee Thanks to Dr. Robbin Thorp, UC Davis. UC Thorp, Robbin Dr. to Thanks Guide developed and illustrated by Elaine Evans, The Xerces Society. Xerces The Evans, Elaine by illustrated and developed Guide (cuckoo bee) (cuckoo Bombus citrinus Bombus Bombus ternarius Bombus rufocinctus Bombus rufocinctus Bombus Funding for bumble bee conservation provided by the CS Fund. CS the by provided conservation bee bumble for Funding Visit www.xerces.org/bumblebees for more information. more for www.xerces.org/bumblebees Visit Bombus affinis Bombus , please contact [email protected] contact please , find you If FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION INVERTEBRATE FOR S X T OCIETY ERCES HE B. affinis affinis B. populations remaining of conservation . bumble bees will use this information to promote promote to information this use will bees bumble www.xerces.org/bumblebees The Xerces Society and scientists studying declining declining studying scientists and Society Xerces The for this bee will help document their current range. range. current their document help will bee this for its former range in recent years. Your efforts to search search to efforts Your years. recent in range former its o t b o y h J P o h a n n B. affinis B. has disappeared from most of of most from disappeared has but patches, a J a m They can still occasionally be found in isolated isolated in found be occasionally still can They e s - H in the eastern United States and the upper Midwest. Midwest. upper the and States United eastern the in e i n The rusty patched bumble bee was once common common once was bee bumble patched rusty The Bombus fraternus Bombus fervidus Bombus pensylvanicus Bombus auricomus Bombus z Map based on Milliron of the Western Hemisphere Bumblebees. 1971 B OMBUS AFFINIS OMBUS , A Monograph BUMBLE BEE BUMBLE For more identification information, visit www.discoverlife.org and www.bugguide.net and www.discoverlife.org visit information, identification more For with different coloration. coloration. different with THE RUSTY PATCHED PATCHED RUSTY THE of the most commonly found bees are pictured here. Some species pictured have varieties varieties have pictured species Some here. pictured are bees found commonly most the of POCKET GUIDE TO INDENTIFYING TO GUIDE POCKET There are around 20 bumble bee species present in eastern North America. Females of some some of Females America. North eastern in present species bee bumble 20 around are There Other common bumblebees of eastern North America North eastern of bumblebees common Other of range Historic ombus affinis ombus B Male or female ? Identifying Bombus affinis Similar bees with yellow at the rear of Similar bees without yellow at the Females have 6 abdominal segments versus 7 in males. the second abdominal segment rear of the second abdominal segment Females have 12 antennal segments versus 13 in males. Female hind legs are wider than male hind legs. Worker Male female abdomen male abdomen 6 segments 7 segments Workers and males have a distinctive rusty brown patch on the front half of their second abdominal Bombus vagans worker Bombus citrinus male Bombus bimaculatus Bombus impatiens segment. The hair on their heads is mostly black. (cuckoo bee) On the thorax, black hairs extend from a central B. affinis and B. vagans females, and B. citrinus patch in the middle of the thorax out towards the males have yellow hair covering most of the first two wings and centrally in a narrow V towards the rear. abdominal segments. However, B. affinis workers have a rusty patch on the second abdominal segment. female antenna male antenna 12 segments 13 segments female hind male hind B. vagans workers and B. citrinus males have yellow hair leg wider leg thinner Queens are similar on the top of their heads while B. affinis have black hair to workers except on the top of their heads. In addition, B. vagans have a they are larger in Females are found through spring, summer, and early longer face than do B. affinis. size and do not fall. Workers and queens are both female. Males can have the rusty patch be common in late summer and early fall. Females on the abdomen. have pollen baskets (an indentation onto which they sometimes pack pollen) on their hind legs, and shorter Bombus griseocollis antennae and abdomens. Males sometimes have larger Yellow-headed Black-headed eyes and longer hair. Queen long-faced bee short-faced bee Thanks to Dr. Robbin Thorp, UC Davis. UC Thorp, Robbin Dr. to Thanks (cuckoo bee) (cuckoo Guide developed and illustrated by Elaine Evans, The Xerces Society. Xerces The Evans, Elaine by illustrated and developed Guide Bombus griseocollis Bombus citrinus Bombus vagans Bombus ternarius Bombus Funding for bumble bee conservation provided by the CS Fund. CS the by provided conservation bee bumble for Funding Visit www.xerces.org/bumblebees for more information. more for www.xerces.org/bumblebees Visit FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION INVERTEBRATE FOR Bombus terricola Bombus , please contact [email protected] [email protected] contact please , find you If S X T OCIETY ERCES HE . populations bee bumble www.xerces.org/bumblebees conservation of remaining yellowbanded yellowbanded remaining of conservation promote bumble bee decline will use this information to to information this use will decline bee bumble range. The Xerces Society and scientists studying studying scientists and Society Xerces The range. P h o search for this bee will help document their current current their document help will bee this for search t o b of its former range in recent years.
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