tricolored bumble bee

Tricolored bumble bee is a common, small, colonial, ground-nesting bumble bee.

The female (worker) bee is 5 ⁄16″ to ½″ long. The thorax and abdomen are densely covered with short hairs. The thorax is mostly yellow with a conspicuous black T-shaped mark. There are six abdominal segments. The first and fourth abdominal segments are yellow, the second and third are orange, and the fifth and sixth are black. The head is black with a few yellow hairs, especially around the base of the antennae. The tongue is short.

The queen is similar but longer and plumper.

The male (drone) is similar but has longer hairs, a yellow head with a few black hairs, and yellow on the sides of the fifth and sixth abdominal segments.

Queen: ⅝″ to ¾″

Male: ⅜″ to ½″

Worker: 5 ⁄16″ to ½″

Red-belted bumble bee (Bombus rufocinctus) has a black dot, not a T-shaped mark, on the thorax.

Various

May to October

Bumble bees will sting to protect themselves or their nest. The stinger is not barbed and the bee can sting multiple times.

In April the queen emerges from hibernation and searches for a new nesting site. A suitable site is typically a small rodent burrow or a natural crevice in the ground. After locating a site the queen will forage for pollen and nectar to feed her future offspring. She then lines the nest with a waxy substance that she secretes, lays eggs fertilized in the previous season, and incubates the eggs.

After the eggs hatch the newly emerged larvae, all female workers, pass through three stages before pupating and finally emerging as adults. The workers assist in expanding the nest, foraging for food, and incubating the eggs. The queen continues laying fertilized eggs throughout the summer. In late summer she begins laying unfertilized eggs which will develop into drones.

In early fall the queen lays the last of her fertilized eggs. These develop into queens. The new queens forage for food, build up body fat, and mate with drones. In mid-fall the old queen and the rest of the colony dies, leaving only the new queens.

The queens overwinter individually under a few inches of loose soil or leaf litter.

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

Adults feed mostly on nectar but also on some pollen, especially flowers of blackberries, raspberries, goldenrods, blueberries, bilberries, and milkweeds.

Sources

7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Common in northern Minnesota

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.

a nice colored bumble bee

Bumble Bee & Northern Crab Spider...

The bumble bee landed on the wild rose blossom and moved around while it fed and the crab spider got spooked and moved away from the bee.

The little guy kept visiting my flowers today

Bombus trenarius did not like its reflection in steel decking. April 27, 2020.

I found the bee tonight a mile west of Houston.

I did get a few close pictures of this bee and I am unsure what it is? I do know that it does stand out!

They are loving the Creeping Charlie. One of the few flowers growing in abundance.

I haven't seen one since 2018, but still have this large goldenrod patch.

… bumbles are preferring Goldenrod over coneflowers. At the bee fest.

out walking looking for may flowers and heard this bumble and managed to get pic. Was on 5/5/2020 first bee here for the season.

Was at the Old Treaty Crossing Festival Huot MN today. Came across a large patch of Cut-Leaf Coneflower which all abuzz with Honey Bees and Tricolored Bumble Bees.

There is a pretty good sized Bull Thistle patch near where I live that the bees and butterflies are working pretty hard.

There were quite a few Tri-colored Bumbles working the Tansy patch.

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Bombus ternarius)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Bombus ternarius - Tricolored Bumble Bee
birdingnwisc

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus ternarius) Queen
Carl Barrentine

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus ternarius) Worker on Leaf
Carl Barrentine

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus ternarius) on Dandelion
Carl Barrentine

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

The bumble bee landed on the wild rose blossom and moved around while it fed and the crab spider got spooked and moved away from the bee.

Location: Silver Bay, MN

The little guy kept visiting my flowers today

Location: Houston County, MN

I did get a few close pictures of this bee and I am unsure what it is? I do know that it does stand out!

Location: Houston County, MN

I found the bee tonight a mile west of Houston.

Location: Silver Bay, MN

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

a nice colored bumble bee

Location: Cass County

Tricolored bumblebee on sneezeweed

Location: Cass County

They are loving the Creeping Charlie. One of the few flowers growing in abundance.

Location: north of Virginia, MN

out walking looking for may flowers and heard this bumble and managed to get pic. Was on 5/5/2020 first bee here for the season.

Location: Winona County, Winona City

Bombus trenarius did not like its reflection in steel decking. April 27, 2020.

Location: Cass County

I haven't seen one since 2018, but still have this large goldenrod patch.

Location: Lake Shore, MN

… bumbles are preferring Goldenrod over coneflowers. At the bee fest.

Location: Red Lake Co MN

Was at the Old Treaty Crossing Festival Huot MN today. Came across a large patch of Cut-Leaf Coneflower which all abuzz with Honey Bees and Tricolored Bumble Bees.

Location: Tabernash, CO

Collecting pollen on grass weed seed.

Location: Pennington Co.

There is a pretty good sized Bull Thistle patch near where I live that the bees and butterflies are working pretty hard.

Location: St Louis Co MN

There were quite a few Tri-colored Bumbles working the Tansy patch.

Location: St Louis Co MN

There were quite a few Tri-colored Bumbles working the Tansy patch.

Location: La Salle Lake SNA