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How to Identify Different Types of Bumblebees

There are dozens of bumblebee species found in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all insects, they have a head, a thorax and an abdomen. The differences in these body parts will help you identify them by gender and differentiate some bumblebee species from one another. Remember to use caution; although they are gentle creatures, they can sting!

Things You'll Need

Magnifying glass

Instructions

Identify the Gender
- 1
  Look at the head of the bumblebee. Males have 12 antennae segments. Females have 13 antennae segments. The eyes of a male bumblebee will be larger than those of a female.
- 2
  Look at the abdomen, the large center of the bee's body. Different species of bumblebees have different color arrangements on their abdomens. Regardless of the colors, females have six segments to their abdomen, males have seven segments.
- 3
  Look at the thorax of the bumblebee, which is the segment between the abdomen and the head. The wings and legs of the bumblebee attach to the thorax. The legs of a male bumblebee are a little thicker than the females, and may appear darker than the female's legs, if the thickness is not evident.
- 4
  Identify the pollen basket. It is a broad, concave segment rimmed with long hairs on the back legs. If you see one, the bumblebee is female. Male bumblebees do not have a pollen basket.
- 5
  Make a note of the colors. In bumblebee colonies, there are three kinds of bees: workers (females), queens and males. The queen is noticeably larger than the other bees. Males will be more colorful than the worker females of the same group.
Species Identification
- 6
  Examine the thorax. Identify the pattern at the top of the thorax, looking for one of four kinds: a band from side to side, a dark spot, divided front to rear, or solid. Identify the thorax top front color, looking for black, light or mixed. Identify the thorax top rear color, looking for light or mixed. Identify the top texture of the thorax, looking for either thick hairs, sparse hairs, or more than two bald segments. Make note of the sections of the thorax.
- 7
  Examine the abdomen. Identify the abdomen top front color. There are four kinds: solid, divided, single band, or numerous bands -- over two.
- 8
  Identify how many wing segments you see. Are there two or four?
- 9
  Record all your observations about these parts of the bumblebee. You can use the observations to look up which of the 250 species it is from a local nature organization, or an online database.

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