The yellow and orange bee also known as the orange-belted bumblebee or tricolored bumblebee is one of the most recognizable bees in North America. This striking pollinator can be easily identified by its bright yellow, orange, and black color pattern.
Description
The yellow and orange bee has a black head and black bands on the front and back of its thorax. The middle section of the thorax and the first few abdominal segments are vibrant yellow, while the middle abdominal segments are burnt orange. The queen and worker bees look very similar, with the main difference being that the queen is larger. The male drones have more yellow on their abdomens and longer fur than the females.
This bee resembles the western bumblebee (Bombus huntii), but can be distinguished by its black facial hairs instead of yellow. The tricolored pattern makes this bee instantly recognizable even to casual observers
Range
The yellow and orange bee is mainly found in northern parts of the United States and Canada. Its range stretches from the Yukon to Newfoundland and south to New York, Michigan, Wyoming, and Montana. It thrives in temperate climates but can rarely be spotted farther south.
These bees are active from spring through fall, with new queens emerging from hibernation in late April to establish nests. Workers fly from May to October before the colony dies off for the winter.
Behavior
Yellow and orange bees create small colonies averaging around 200 individuals. The queen’s main duty is reproduction while the sterile workers handle foraging, nest maintenance, and caring for larvae.
These bees feed on nectar and pollen from flowers like Rubus, goldenrods, Vaccinium, and milkweeds. They can sting in defense of their nest but are not aggressive insects.
The yellow and orange bee exhibits complex social behaviors including division of labor between castes. Foragers learn the locations of the most rewarding flowers and can travel up to 6 km from their nest to gather food.
Reproduction
In late summer, the queen switches to laying unfertilized eggs that become male drones. Towards the end of her life, she again lays fertilized eggs that will grow into new queens. The males patrol circuits looking for emerging virgin queens to mate with.
After mating, the males die while the new queens build up fat reserves to survive the winter. They nestle into loose soil or leaf litter and enter dormancy until spring, when the cycle begins anew.
Importance
The yellow and orange bee is an important native pollinator in northern ecosystems. As a generalist forager, it pollinates a wide variety of wildflowers and crops. Its distinctive colors and fuzziness contribute to its charm, making it one of the most beloved bees.
While Bombus ternarius populations remain stable, other bees are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, and disease. Supporting native bees like the yellow and orange bumblebee is crucial for the health of natural environments. Simple actions like planting pollinator gardens and avoiding pesticide use can help protect these essential pollinators.
How to identify bumblebees
In Britain we have around 270 species of bee and of them, 24 are species of bumblebee. Our guide will help you name some of the common bumblebees you see buzzing around our parks and gardens.
Common Carder Bee: The common carder bee is a fluffy, orange and brown bumblebee that sometimes has darker bands on its abdomen. There are a lot of common carder bees in the UK. They come out early in the spring and can be seen eating flowers until November.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Common Carder Bee ©Rachel Scopes
Early bumblebee: This type of bumblebee is small and has orange antennae and lemon-yellow bands on its chest and abdomen. It is found throughout the UK in all kinds of habitats. It is a small bee and an important pollinator of soft fruit, such as raspberries and blackberries.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Bumblebee tree The tree bumblebee has fuzzy, orange-brown hairs on its chest, a black belly, and a white tail. It can now be found in much of England and Wales and has reached Southern Scotland. Since it lives in open woodland, you can often find it in gardens that have a similar environment.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Tree bumblebee by Wendy Carter
Red-tailed bumblebee: The female in this species is very big and black, with a big red tail. The males are smaller. It lives in gardens, farmland, the edges of forests, hedgerows, and heaths—anywhere there are flowers for it to eat.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Red-tailed bumblebee ©Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Garden bumblebee The garden bumblebee is a large, scruffy-looking bee, with a long tongue and face. The collar, the back of the thorax, and the first part of the abdomen all have yellow bands on them. The tip of the tail is white. This bumblebee is pretty big, and you can find it in a lot of places, from gardens to forests.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Garden bumblebee by Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Buff-tailed bumblebee The buff-tailed bumblebee has a yellow collar near the head and another on the abdomen. There is a faint buff line running down the middle of the queen’s tail, but not across the middle of the workers’ tails. Males have buff-tinged tails and also have black hair on their faces. Buff-tailed bumblebees are the biggest of the bumblebees and are found in lowland areas.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Buff-tailed BumbleBee © Jon Hawkins Surrey Hills Photography
White-tailed bumblebee The white-tailed bumblebee is black with two lemon-yellow bands on its body and a white tail. There are several very similar species that can be very difficult to tell apart. For instance, the buff-tailed bumblebee has dull yellow and black bands on its body and a buff-colored tail instead of a bright white one. The white-tailed bumblebee and the garden bumblebee both have a white tail, but the stripes are on the garden bumblebee’s tail are in a different spot. If there are flowers for them to eat, white-tailed bumblebees will be in gardens, farmland, the edges of woods, hedgerows, and heathland.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Other bees you may have spotted!
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FAQ
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