Once red is not seen, next question is “is the bee striped?”
This group contains some of my favorite species to encounter in the field. A couple of them can pose a bit of an ID challenge. Two form bumble bee, B. bifariusCalifornia bumble bee, B. californicusYellow-faced bumble bee, B. vosnesenskiiObscure bumble bee, B. caliginosusvan Dyke bumble bee, B. vandykei The Two form Bumble shows an inverted …
I (DJ) have many fond memories associated with this species. First and foremost, I got the photo (below) and learned this species on a multi-day trip into Stehekin, NCNP to do a NPS sponsored bio-blitz with some of the rockstars of the native bee world: Jamie Strange, H. Ikerd, Terry Griswold and Chris Looney, to …
The Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is a common bumble bee on the west side of Washington state and appears to be spreading into the eastern portion. There is some speculation that the drastic decline in numbers of the Western bumble bee Bombus occidentalis, during the 1990s created an opportunity for expansion of the Yellow-faced …
The Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, was until recently the most widely distributed bumble bee species across Washington state. The range map below shows just how wide spread it was. Then a disease outbreak spread from captive raised bumble bees used for tomato hothouse operations wiped out an estimated 95% or more of the wild …
The California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, has two distinct color morphs. The first is similar to the Yellow-Faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, but California bumble bee lacks yellow hairs on the face. The California bumble bee, Bombus californicus can be found on both sides of the Washington Cascades. On the west side, it is a …
aka Vancouver bumble bee, Bombus vancouverensis nearcticus The Two form bumble bee is (was) a small bodied species common on the east side of Washington state. It can be found on the west side as well, but seems to thrive on the east side. Note the black triangle pointed at the abdomen, on the rear …
The Fogbelt bumble bee, Bombus caliginosus, is a species I have found mainly on the southern slopes of the Olympic Mountains. It is not uncommon in that area, but is easily confused with a similar looking species, the Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. The common name gives you a sense of it’s preferred habitat. Please …
Fogbelt / Obscure bumble bee, Bombus caliginosis Read More »