Minnesota Seasons - Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

Photo by Babette Kis

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Common eastern bumble bee, as the common name suggests, is common. In fact, it is the most common bumble bee in eastern North America.

The first abdominal segment is yellow, all others are black. The hairs on the top of the head are yellow.

Size

Queen: ⅝″ to 13 ⁄16″

Worker: 5 ⁄16″ to ⅝″

Male: ½″ to ⅝″

Similar Species

Habitat

Clearings in forests, roadsides, open areas, suburbs, urban areas.

Biology

Season

March to November

Behavior

Females carry large amounts of pollen as a wet mass on the pollen-collecting hairs (scopa) of their hind legs.

Life Cycle

Larva Food

Larvae are fed both nectar for carbohydrates and pollen for protein.

Adult Food

Adults feed mostly on nectar but also on some pollen.

Distribution
		Sources 7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83. Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 8/24/2025).
8/24/2025

Occurrence
Common

Taxonomy
Order	Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
Suborder	Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)
Infraorder	Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)
Superfamily	Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)
Epifamily	Anthophila (bees)
Family	Apidae (honey bees, bumble bees, and allies)
Subfamily	Apinae (honey, bumble, longhorn, orchid, and digger bees)
Tribe	Bombini
Genus	Bombus (bumble bees)
Subgenus	Pyrobombus

In the not-too-distant past, bumble bees were often placed in the in the subfamily Bombinae, and sometimes in the family Bombidae. Today, both of these terms are considered taxonomically invalid, though they can still be found in use on the Web.

Subordinate Taxa


Synonyms
Bremus impatiens

Common Names
common eastern bumble bee

Minnesota Bumble Bee Identification Guide

The University of MN Bee Lab has a free field identification guide to Minnesota bumble bees. It is indispensable for amateur naturalists or anyone wanting to identify the bumble bee in their photo. Click on the image below to download the guide.

Visitor Photos

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Luciearl
Goldenrod, multi species bees



		Napping on the deck railing.


Unknown bumblebee on garlic chives Attracted to garlic chives. Lower bee naps as his buddy continues to work.		Note full pollen basket.

Gregory Gilman

Mike Poeppe

Alfredo Colon

Babette Kis
Bombus impatiens Common Eastern bumblebee Bombus impatiens, male, on Goldenrod sp. flowers at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI photographed on October 6, 2022. The absence of corbicula, or pollen basket, on the hind leg indicates that it is a male.

Bobbi Johnson

Bill Reynolds

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera

Slideshows

Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens)
Andree Reno Sanborn

slideshow

Visitor Videos

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Visitor Sightings

Report a sighting of this insect.
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Luciearl
9/25/2025

Location: Cass County

Luciearl
9/1/2025

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Gregory Gilman
8/23/2025

Location: Rochester, MN

Mike Poeppe
7/31/2025

Location: Houston, MN

Luciearl
7/22/2025

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Napping on the deck railing.

Alfredo Colon
6/17/2024

Location: Albany, NY

Babette Kis
10/6/2022

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Bombus impatiens, male, on Goldenrod sp. flowers at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI photographed on October 6, 2022. The absence of corbicula, or pollen basket, on the hind leg indicates that it is a male.