American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus
They practice 'buzz pollination' (sonication), vibrating their flight muscles at a high frequency to dislodge tightly held pollen from flowers like tomatoes and eggplants.
- Scientific name
- Bombus pensylvanicus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Apidae › Bombus
- IUCN Red List status
- Vulnerable
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Temperate grasslands, prairies, meadows, agricultural fields, and urban gardens.
- Diet
- Nectar and pollen harvested from a wide variety of native flowering plants.
- Range
- North America, United States, Southern Canada, Mexico
- Size
- Queens: 20-25 mm; Workers: 14-18 mm; Drones: 16-22 mm.
- Lifespan
- Queens: up to 1 year; Workers and males: 2 to 6 weeks.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification, widespread pesticide use, climate change, and pathogens spread by commercial greenhouses.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and docile while foraging; defensive only if their nest is disturbed or if pinched. Keep a respectful distance of 1-2 feet. If stung, wash the area with soap and water, apply ice to reduce swelling, and seek immediate medical attention if signs of a severe allergic reaction occur.
Bombus pensylvanicus , the American bumblebee or Sonoran bumblebee , is a threatened species of bumblebee native to North America. It occurs in eastern Canada, throughout much of the United States, and much of Mexico.
Photo: crseaquist, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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