common eastern bumble bee
(Bombus impatiens)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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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 |
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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 |
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Sources |
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| 5/5/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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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 (apine 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. |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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common eastern bumble bee |
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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 |
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Unknown bumblebee on garlic chives Attracted to garlic chives. Lower bee naps as his buddy continues to work. |
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| Note full pollen basket. |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Babette Kis |
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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. |
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Bobbi Johnson |
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Bill Reynolds |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus impatiens) Exhausted by Wind |
About
Uploaded on Jun 29, 2009 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (28 June 2009). "Somethings that fly there be, -- Birds, hours, the bumble-bee: / Of these no elegy." --Emily Dickinson |
Bombus impatiens, Bumble bees |
About
Uploaded on May 27, 2010 - |
Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus impatiens) on Blossom |
About
Uploaded on Jul 12, 2009 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (12 July 2009). "Bees are Black, with Gilt Surcingles-- / Buccaneers of Buzz / Ride abroad in ostentation / And subsist on Fuzz." --Emily Dickinson |
Visitor Sightings |
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| 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. |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/17/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/3/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/2/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 9/25/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Luciearl 9/5/2018 |
Location: Lake Shore, MN Note full pollen basket. |
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Luciearl |
Location: Lake Shore Attracted to garlic chives. Lower bee naps as his buddy continues to work. |
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| Crystal Boyd 6/10 and 6/11/2013 |
Location: Uncas Dunes SNA queen |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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