# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/74f6d550-7347-4f1a-98a9-b0d74abd497e
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/56887
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus pensylvanicus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/102805250/medium.jpg (crseaquist, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.