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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 Pyrobombus (Bombus Subgenus Pyrobombus) » Yellow-faced Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii)
Photo#1711221
Scary bugs on front porch - Bombus vosnesenskii
Copyright © 2019 User novice1

Scary bugs on front porch - Bombus vosnesenskii
Garibaldi , Oregon, USA
August 13, 2019
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Contributed by User novice1 on 13 August, 2019 - 1:08pm
Last updated 18 September, 2019 - 4:33pm

Moved
Moved from Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies.
… Bob Zuparko, 18 September, 2019 - 4:33pm login or register to post comments

Big and black but quite frien
Big and black but quite friendly - these are bumblebees, specifically Bombus vosnesenskii, the yellow-faced bumblebee. You can read more about them here.

Bumblebees are generally quite docile (speaking from experience), they are only likely to sting if you try to handle them aggressively; with practice you can pet them while they feed on flowers! If you want these guys off your porch either wait or gently try to coax them on a stick and put it on the ground after they're on it.
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 13 August, 2019 - 3:50pm login or register to post comments

 
Bumble bees not scary bugs
Thanks for the info. I suspected bumble bees but they were so big and had horns!
I have flowers including nasturtiums and sweet peas in bloom on my steps so perhaps the flowers attracted the bees.
Knowledge promotes harmony.
… User novice1, 14 August, 2019 - 12:20pm login or register to post comments

 
The horns are their antennae
The horns are their antennae - but I agree they can look quite different when a little damp like this! They certainly were attracted by the flowers, and probably using your porch as a place to rest in between foraging bouts, especially if it was dry and warm.
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 18 September, 2019 - 4:41pm login or register to post comments

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