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Bombus impatiens Cresson 1863
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Florida native
These large bees can be found in a variety of habitats in nearly all of Florida except for the most southwest areas and the Keys. The range extends throughout the eastern United States west into Texas to the Dakotas and north slightly into Canada.
Bombus impatiens are covered with short hairs overall and have a long somewhat rectangular body. Females (both workers and queens) are black with a yellow thorax and first abdominal segment. Males have a yellow face and head and are 12-18mm (~1/2 to 3/4 in.) long. Workers are 8.5-16mm (1/3 to 2/3 in.)long and the queen is 17-23mm (2/3 to nearly an inch) long.
Common eastern bumble bees live in large underground nests one to three feet below the surface.
The species name refers to the plant genus Impatiens, which these bees frequently visit.
Bombus impatiens is a member of the Apidae - Bumble bees, Honey bees, and other bees family.
Other species of the Bombus genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Bombus pensylvanicus - AMERICAN BUMBLE BEE
Bombus species - BUMBLE BEE
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net page for this species
Date record last modified: Feb 13, 2023
