Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
The Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons, is a common bumble bee in Thurston county. It is found around the state, but is most commonly encountered on the west side of Washington.
Please reference the Embedded Range Maps page to better interpret # of observations per ecoregion.
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
Field ID Tips
The thorax is cloudy.
T1 and T2 are often bright yellow, contrasting with the black rear.
The majority of individuals I have encountered have black on T3, T4 and T5.
In the San Juan Islands, and I hear from a reliable source, around the Mountain Loop highway, T3 may be replaced with red. An example is shown at the bottom of this page.
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
This is a color morph that shows RED (orange). (above)
Similar Species
Similar species include the Central bumble bee, Bombus centralis and the Sitka bumble bee, Bombus sitkensis.
The Central bumble bee has the scutum (front of the thorax) yellow, not cloudy. T3 and T4 will be red, with T5 black.
The Sitka bumble bee will have pale reddish hairs on T 4 and T5. These can be a bit subtle.
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
Male Yellow head bumble bees
are bright yellow and relatively common in the summer time. They are similar to males of Bombus mixtus.
Look for hairy legs with no pollen attached.
male Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
male Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
male Yellow head bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons
