How Do I Tell What Variety of Bumble Bees I Have?

Identify members of the American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensulvanicus) species by their completely yellow abdomen and remainder of the body that is branded black and yellow. This bumble bee is about 0.8 inches long, and its wings appear smoky. Spanning from Quebec to Florida and west into Colorado and Mexico, these bumble bees typically pollinate plants in the blazing star, forget-me-not, honeysuckle, legume, milkweed, mint, morning glory, nightshade, rose and snapdragon families.

Examine the bumble bees for black hair covering their head, abdomen and legs and a yellow thorax, which is the center part of the body. The Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) has that coloring. The most commonly seen bumble bees in eastern North America, they reside from Ontario to Maine, down to Florida and west through Ohio. They typically pollinate farms and gardens.

Look for an orange-colored stripe around the middle of the bumble bees' body. The Orange-Belted Bumble Bee (Bombus ternarius) species is named for its stripe. The top of the bee's abdomen is yellow, the middle of its abdomen bears the orange stripe and the bottom half of its abdomen is black. Each bee is about 0.4 inches long. They are often found on flowers such as goldenrod, milkweed, roses and shrubs and are common in the northern United States and parts of Canada; they are rarely seen south of Pennsylvania.

Check for a small, rust-colored patch on the front of the bumble bees' abdomen. The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis) was named for that patch. Each bee also has a bald spot between its wings, and surrounding the bald spot is a V-shaped patch of black hair. Black hair also covers its head. This species lives in the eastern and upper Midwest regions of the United States and typically pollinates alfalfa, apple trees, cranberries, onions, plum trees and wildflowers.

Compare the bees' coloring to the American Bumble Bees' coloring. The Sonoran Bumble Bee (Bombus sonorous) closely resembles the American Bumble Bee, although it is usually larger and its black and yellow colors are sharper and more distinct. On some occasions, its body is completely yellow. Its wings are so dark that they often appear black. This species is in the southwestern regions of the United States, from California into Texas and Mexico. It favors flowers such as desert willow, stick-leaf blazing star, yellow trumpet bush and Schott's century plant.

Study the bumble bees for a white spot at the tip of the backside. Western Bumble Bees (Bombus occidentalis) display that spot and are large bees large size. Living in the northwestern United States, they often pollinate the wildflowers aster, clover, cosmos, goldenrod, mountain lupine and willow and the crops alfalfa, apple, avocado, blackberry, blueberry, cherry and cranberry.

Determine whether or not each bumble bee's body is mostly black with only some yellow on the thorax and abdomen. The yellow abdominal hairs may have a brownish tint. Those are the markings of the Yellowbanded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola). Natives of the eastern and upper Midwestern United States and southern Canada, members of this species may be seen on alfalfa, cranberry, potatoes, raspberry and wildflowers.