Professional Documents
Culture Documents
of the
Eastern
United States
By
United States Sheila Colla
Department of
Agriculture
Leif Richardson
A product of the USDA Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership
Paul Williams with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Executive Editor Larry Stritch, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service
Executive and Managing Editor Laurie Davies Adams, The Pollinator Partnership
Website: www.savethebumblebees.com
Sheila R. Colla has studied various
aspects of bumble bee ecology, behavior, Leif Richardson is a graduate student Paul Williams studied the distribution
and conservation throughout North at Dartmouth College, where he is doing and decline in British bumble bees for a
America. She is currently a doctoral dissertation research on plants and Ph.D. at Cambridge (UK) in 1985. Since
student and recipient of the Natural their pollinators. He holds a master’s then, he has continued to work on this
Sciences and Engineering Research degree from the University of Arizona’s as a research entomologist at the Natural
Council Alexander Graham Bell Canadian Department of Ecology and Evolutionary History Museum, London, UK, but is
Graduate Scholarship at York University Biology and worked for many years as an looking increasingly at bumble bee
under the supervision of Dr. Laurence ecologist with the Vermont Department of ecology and systematics worldwide, with
Packer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her Fish and Wildlife’s Nongame and Natural field work especially in North America,
dissertation examines changes in bumble Heritage Program. He is documenting the the Himalaya, and China. Larger
bee communities over the past century distribution and decline of bumble bees taxonomic publications have included
and looks into some of the causes for in New England and is involved in efforts faunal revisions of the bumble bees
observed declines. In addition, she is a to conserve bumble bee populations in of Kashmir and more recently on the
member of the North American Pollinator Eastern North America. bumble bees of Sichuan, on a checklist
Protection Campaign and her research Email: leif.l.richardson@dartmouth.edu of bumble bee species of the world, and
has been featured in The Washington Phone: 802-225-6353 on a series of papers on bumble bee
Post, Canadian Gardening, The Toronto phylogeny and subgenera.
Star, BioScience, CBC’s Quirks and Overview: www.nhm.ac.uk/bombus
Quarks, and The Daily Planet for Publications on bumble bees: www.nhm.
Discovery Channel Canada. ac.uk/bombus/publications.html
Email: scolla@yorku.ca
Authors are listed in alphabetical order. Each contributed equally.
The genus Bombus (bumble bee) includes approximately The common and easily recognized bumble bees are large
250 species found primarily in temperate regions of and furry corbiculate (i.e., they have smooth areas on
North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the hindlegs surrounded by stiff bristles for transporting
and Asia. They are absent from Australia, lowland India, pollen) bees with no jugal lobe to the hindwing. All
and from most of Africa. In the United States, in States species are eusocial except for members of the
whose boundaries are fully east of the 100th meridian, subgenus Psithyrus, which are social parasites that invade
there are a total of 21 species. host bumble bee nests to produce offspring.
and Agriculture and California (Franklin’s bumble bee) has recently been
listed by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered. Species that
Bumble bees are extremely important pollinators for seem most vulnerable are those with smaller climate
agriculture both in the field and in greenhouses. Unlike tolerances, those at the edge of their climatic niches,
honey bees, they are able to forage under cold, rainy, and and later emerging species. In North America, members
cloudy conditions. This makes them excellent pollinators of the subgenus Bombus sensu strictu (i.e., B. affinis,
for a variety of crops in temperate regions. Some crops B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. terricola) seem to be
that bumble bees can pollinate include tomatoes, declining at a rapid rate.
peppers, raspberries, blueberries, chives, cucumbers, Currently, the suspected threats to wild bumble bees are:
apples, strawberries, alfalfa, blackberries, soybeans, habitat loss due to agricultural intensification,
sunflowers, beans, cherries, apricots, plums, almonds, urbanization or pollution,
nectarines, peaches, rosehips, eggplants, and cranberries. pesticide use,
Bumble bees are also extremely important pollinators of pathogen spillover from managed bees,
many flowering plants throughout the native ranges with and climate change.
which they co-evolved mutualisms where they receive
food in return for providing pollination. Bumble bees are
generalists and have been recorded visiting hundreds of
Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States 9
Bee Body Diagram
head antenna
thorax
foreleg
wings
1
midleg
2
3
hindleg
4
5
abdomen 6
(with
numbered
terga/ “T”
corbiculum/
pollen basket
basitarsus
hindleg
antenna
compound eye
clypeus
cheek (malar space)
mandible
Bombus sandersoni, worker tongue
Sheila Colla, York University For each species, the specimen collection points from the Eastern
Paul Williams, British Natural History Museum United States are displayed. Data from most sources listed above are
Leif Richardson, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife termed ‘Primary Records,’ because we have high confidence in the
Caroline Scully, Antioch University New England determinations (identifications) of those specimens. Data from the
John Ascher, American Museum of Natural History Ohio State University collection are termed ‘Other Records,’ because
Ohio State University Hymenoptera Online Database we have not verified the determinations of bees in that collection. In a
Illinois Natural History Survey few cases, we have also displayed points on the maps that represent
Yale University, Peabody Museum photographs of bumble bees, not actual collections. We have only done
University of Connecticut Insect Collections this when accurate identification was possible from a photo.
University of Vermont’s Zadock Thompson Zoology Collection
Canadian National Collection of Insects For three species that have undergone precipitous declines in the last
Rachael Winfree, Rutgers University decade—B. affinis, B. terricola, and B. ashtoni—we chose to display
Sam Droege, U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research the relatively few collections made after 1997 differently from all
Center those made previously. This is intended to give the reader a sense of
Michael Arduser, Missouri Department of Conservation how much the species’ ranges have shrunk and where they might still
H.E. Milliron (published records from various collections) be found.
Kevin Matteson, Fordham University
Steve Marshall, University of Guelph Range information is shown for all full States east of the 100°
longitude line. Users should bear in mind that most of the bumble
Many other insect collections exist that have not been checked for bees found in this area also occur in parts of adjacent Canada and the
identification accuracy or digitized. These maps can thus be improved Western United States.
upon as more data become available.
Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States 13
Bombus impatiens
Common eastern bumble bee
• Common, possibly expanding range
• Select food plants: Cirsium (Thistles), Eupatorium, Gelsemium,
Solidago (Goldenrods), Pontederia (Pickerel Weeds)
• Tongue length: medium
• Nests underground
• Parasitized by B. citrinus
• Can be confused with B. bimaculatus
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Bombus impatiens
Female Bombus impatiens male on aster.
face. Photo Sheila Colla Photo Sheila Colla
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
A worker Bombus vagans visits red clover.
Photo Leif Richardson
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT Bombus sandersoni female in Newfoundland, Canada.
Photo Cory Sheffield
The phenology for this species is unknown due to few records in the Eastern United States.
Phenology Chart
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Lateral image of a female Bombus griseocollis. A Bombus griseocollis worker captured by a crab spider.
Photo Sheila Colla Photo Sheila Colla
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Lateral image of a Bombus rufocinctus female, black morph. Lateral image of a Bombus rufocinctus female, red morph. A red color morph Bombus rufocinctus worker forage
Photo Sheila Colla Photo Sheila Colla at teasel. Photo Leif Richardson
Phenology Chart
Bombus fervidus female.
Photo Leif Rchardson
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Males
Workers
Queens
Lateral image of a female Bombus borealis. Bombus borealis worker foraging at culitivated monkshood. Bombus borealis queen foraging on cow vetch.
Photo Sheila Colla Photo Leif Richardson Photo Paul Williams
Phenology Chart
Bombus pensylvanicus worker foraging on cow vetch.
Photo Paul Williams
Males
Workers
Queens
Phenology Chart
Phenology Chart
Bombus citrinus male on Woodland Sunflower.
Photo Sheila Colla
Males
Females
Phenology Chart
Female Bombus insularis.
Photo Sheila Colla
Males
Females
Phenology Chart
Female Bombus ashtoni.
Photo Sheila Colla
Males
Females
Phenology Chart
Male Bombus fernaldae foraging.
Photo Beatriz Moisset
Males
Females
3 (2) Face pile predominantly black; thorax sides with the pile
predominantly yellow … fervidus
- Face pile predominantly yellow; thorax sides with the pile
predominantly black … borealis
We gratefully acknowledge help and valuable discussion Collection; Canadian National Collection of Insects;
from John Ascher, Laurie Davies Adams, Steve Rachael Winfree, Rutgers University; Sam Droege, U.S.
Buchmann, Cory Sheffield, Laurence Packer, Claudia Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center;
Ratti, Fawziah Gadallah, James Strange, Chris Plowright, Michael Arduser, Missouri Department of Conservation;
Liz Day, Elizabeth Sellers, Sam Droege, Laura Burkle, Kevin Matteson, Fordham University; Kurt Pickett,
attendees of the 2009 Bombus Experts Meeting in University of Vermont; Helen Young, Middlebury College;
Washington, DC, and photograph providers. Ross Bell, University of Vermont; Jeff Freeman, Castleton
State College; Don Miller, Lyndon State College; Trish
Hanson, Vermont Department of Forests and Parks;
Additionally, we would like to thank the following for use Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
of data for producing range maps:
Caroline Scully, Antioch University New England; John
Ascher, American Museum of Natural History; Funding for this project was provided by the Pollinator
Ohio State University Hymenoptera Online Database; Partnership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Illinois Natural History Survey; Yale University, Peabody Service, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Museum; University of Connecticut Insect Collections; Funding for the high definition camera was provided by
University of Vermont’s Zadock Thompson Zoology CFI and ORF.
Bumble bees: their behaviour and ecology by D. Goulson, Oxford University Press, 2003.
Bumble bee vulnerability and conservation world-wide. Apidologie 40: 367-387. Williams, P.H. & J.L. Osborne.
2009. [Online]
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/Williams&Osborne09_review.pdf