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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Honey, Bumble, Longhorn, Orchid, and Digger Bees (Apinae) » Bumble Bees (Bombini) » Bumble Bees (Bombus) » Subgenus Bombias (Bombus Subgenus Bombias) » Black-and-gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus)
Photo#870160
Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, lateral - Bombus auricomus
Copyright © 2013 MJ Hatfield

Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, lateral - Bombus auricomus
Plymouth Rock, Winneshiek County, Iowa, USA
June 17, 2013

Images of this individual: tag all
Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee - Bombus auricomus Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee - Bombus auricomus Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, dorsal - Bombus auricomus Bombus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, lateral - Bombus auricomus
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Contributed by MJ Hatfield on 28 November, 2013 - 5:21am
Last updated 21 February, 2022 - 7:38am

Moved
Moved from Bumble Bees.
… John S. Ascher, 5 December, 2013 - 7:11pm login or register to post comments

Looks like Bombus auricomus t
Looks like Bombus auricomus to me - while it could also be pensylvanicus, the wings are darker brown and there's yellow on the top of the head. Bombus terricola is colored similarly, but shouldn't be in Iowa, and has lighter brown wings.

Nice photos - thanks!
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 28 November, 2013 - 8:37am login or register to post comments

 
Thank you.
Maybe you can answer a question? I've watched bumble bees fly/patrol near the ground, in and around, yet I've never seen them actually go into the ground. What are they doing if not going home?
… MJ Hatfield, 28 November, 2013 - 10:04am login or register to post comments

 
Depends on the time of year;
Depends on the time of year; if it's a queen she may be searching for a suitable nest site to build in (spring) or a place to hibernate over the winter (fall). I haven't seen workers or males do this, generally - just queens. Have you seen the other castes doing it?
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 28 November, 2013 - 10:07am login or register to post comments

 
I can't say about caste
but I'm pretty sure I've seen it in the middle of summer.
However, I'll have to pay more attention now.
… MJ Hatfield, 28 November, 2013 - 11:14am login or register to post comments

 
Hmm... some of the species of
Hmm... some of the species of Bombus emerge pretty late, so it's possible you have a late queen looking for a nest site. That'd be my best guess, at least.
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 28 November, 2013 - 3:13pm login or register to post comments

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