Images

A somewhat bedraggled Bombus crotchii from Yolo County, California..."This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees.

The giant bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii). A denizen of the southern Andes and widely believed to be in decline due to competition and perhaps spread of pathogens with two introduced European bumblebees that have invaded the region. You notice this bee when it flies by. Dramatically orange with yellow highlights on the traditional deep black integument of bumblebees.

The giant bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii). A denizen of the southern Andes and widely believed to be in decline due to competition and perhaps spread of pathogens with two introduced European bumblebees that have invaded the region. You notice this bee when it flies by. Dramatically orange with yellow highlights on the traditional deep black integument of bumblebees.

The giant bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii). A denizen of the southern Andes and widely believed to be in decline due to competition and perhaps spread of pathogens with two introduced European bumblebees that have invaded the region. You notice this bee when it flies by. Dramatically orange with yellow highlights on the traditional deep black integument of bumblebees.

Ah, reaching way back in history now to 2012,,,,not completely satisfied with this shot of B. flavifrons, but it will have to do. From Wyoming, where a number of red butted bumble bees live.

Bombus fraternus. The Southern Plains Bumble Bee. This crisp, handsome and short-faced bee suffers from lack of an adequate publicist. Thought, several other Bumble Bees in its clan, to be in decline from introduced pathogens. It gets little mention in the bee press.

Bombus fraternus - Here is one of the very uncommon bumblebees that are of great concern these days, due to introduced parasites that have caused this species and its sister taxa to crash. Fortunately, they are still around, at least in small numbers.

Check the eyes out on this male Bumble Bee. We already put up a spread of female B. fraternus, but the male has some pretty unique features for bumble bees. For one, the eyes are HUGE, they nearly meet at the top of the head. Only a few other bumbles do that...and the face is extremely short, with the mandibles almost joined to the bottom of the eyes.

Philadelphia Bee Survey, 2012, Pennsylvania, Stephanie Wilson Collector, Morris Arboretum

More bumble bees...! But this one is from New Zealand. Do bumble bees belong in New Zealand? No. They were introduced. This one is Bombus hortorum, Widespread in Europe and Asia...and now widespread in New Zealand this species was purposefully introduced to help with clover related pollination.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

A lovely queen Bombus impatiens from Richmond City, Virginia. Photograph taken by Steve Roble. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

People think that identifying Bumble Bees are easy. They are big, there are "guides" that show the color patterns...so what could go wrong....well....things like this specimen of Bombus impatiens. It should have NO red / brown on it, but this specimens has 2 whole tergites that are reddish brown.

A hulking bumble bee nest parasite. Bombus insularis is another example of alternative bumble bee lifestyles. Usurping nests of other bumbles to raise their young. This one is found throughout the northern parts of North America and down the western mountains, but not the Appalachians.

From Yellowstone National Park comes the powerful Bombus insularis, and this parasite of other bumblebees is one bad ass bee. collected as part of a high elevation study of the Alpine areas throughout the United States, with the idea that climate change first reaches the tops of things and the bottom of things (oceans that is).

Another male Yosemite Bumble Bee. B. melanopygus is similar to B. bifarius illustrated in the last set of picture, but a bit more higher elevation and bit more arctic in its distributions. There is a softness to the face here that I find most appealing. Collected by Claire Kremen's group in the National Park. Photo by Anders Croft.

Here is a little worker bumble bee of the west coast variety: Bombus melanopygus. Found in one of the San Francisco gardens that Jaime Pawalek does her bee research in. Long hair that is difficult to primp properly once it has gotten wet. So it goes.

Tightly wrapped in fur-like orange hair, this lovely western bumblebee (Bombus morrisoni) was captured at the far edge of its range in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Near the Black Hills, an island of Rocky Mountain type habitat in a sea of prairie, the Badlands are receivers perhaps of bees that otherwise would not inhabit prairie habitats.

And now we present a mystery. Here is a bumble bee collected in northern Virginia in a blue vane trap as part of T'ai Roulston's research group looking at bee populations in restored fields. The question at hand is what species is it? Its a clean, unworn bee, appears to be the size of large worker or perhaps a small queen and it fits some characteristics of B.

And now we present a mystery. Here is a bumble bee collected in northern Virginia in a blue vane trap as part of T'ai Roulston's research group looking at bee populations in restored fields. The question at hand is what species is it? Its a clean, unworn bee, appears to be the size of large worker or perhaps a small queen and it fits some characteristics of B.

If you were in the Badlands of South Dakota in the Summer, and were paying attention to your bumblebees, you would see this one. Bombus nevadensis. It is big and the queens are extra beefy. This is one of the dark bumbles. More black on the sides of the body and tinted wings.