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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 Thoracobombus (Bombus Subgenus Thoracobombus) » American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)
Photo#64664
Queen Bumblebee - Bombus pensylvanicus - female
Copyright © 2006 Jackie

Queen Bumblebee - Bombus pensylvanicus - Female
Essex, Ontario, Canada
July 15, 2006
Size: 27 to 30 mm
I thought this was Bombus terricola=occidentalis. Lacking yellow at end of thorax (scutellum) and yellow 'tail'. Also, 1st abdominal segment is yellow (B. terricola is black). Face has a few yellow hairs, but is mostly black. Any ideas?

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Queen Bumblebee - Bombus pensylvanicus - female Queen Bumblebee - Bombus pensylvanicus - female
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Contributed by Jackie on 17 July, 2006 - 7:26pm
Last updated 10 July, 2010 - 1:50pm

Moved
Moved from Black and Gold Bumble Bee.
… John S. Ascher, 10 July, 2010 - 1:50pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Bumble Bees.
… John S. Ascher, 13 November, 2009 - 7:20pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from American Bumble Bee.
… John S. Ascher, 13 November, 2009 - 4:39pm login or register to post comments

-
-
… John S. Ascher, 28 September, 2006 - 7:20pm login or register to post comments

I'm now strongly leaning towards pensylvanicus
a tough call, but yellow T1 suggests pensylvanicus not auricomus
… John S. Ascher, 27 September, 2006 - 4:03pm login or register to post comments

 
Bombus pensylvanicus
OK, I'm in the process of wading through Mitchell's entomolese descriptions of pensylvanicus and auricomus and was leaning toward pensylvanicus too. However, I also may have auricomus. Seems the yellow vertex (top of the head between and behind the eyes) is not a reliable ID mark.
Cheers,
… Jackie, 27 September, 2006 - 7:02pm login or register to post comments

 
this can be a really tough ID
from a photo alone
… John S. Ascher, 28 September, 2006 - 7:20pm login or register to post comments

why isn't this B. auricomus?
difficult to tell from the photo, but apparent yellow on vertex and short legs suggest auricomus and not pensylvanicus
… John S. Ascher, 27 September, 2006 - 12:00am login or register to post comments

 
Synonym B, nevadensis
Guilty as charged. I never checked this one. I have it listed in Ontario as Bombus nevadensis. My photos of unknowns has shrunk now. I'll submit photo of possible male and worker. Thanks.
… Jackie, 27 September, 2006 - 10:01am login or register to post comments

Need a new page
for Bombus pennsylvanicus.
… Jackie, 18 July, 2006 - 11:41am login or register to post comments

 
I just made a new guide page
but only becuase I happened to see your comment - it's better to make a request in Forums when a new guide page is needed, where more editors will see it.
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 21 July, 2006 - 12:49pm login or register to post comments

Exactly!
Thank you so much. A first for me. I didn't realize they were so large. Is it odd that a queen would be foraging at this time of the year?
… Jackie, 18 July, 2006 - 10:50am login or register to post comments

 
We have queens here in Colorado Springs
foraging in August. Check here.
… Adalbert Goertz, 18 July, 2006 - 11:26am login or register to post comments

Bombus pennsylvanicus
Queen.
… Adalbert Goertz, 18 July, 2006 - 10:39am login or register to post comments

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