Bombus ternarius

Bombus ternarius
Orange-belted Bumblebee
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Pyrobombus
Species: B. ternarius
Binomial name
Bombus ternarius
Say, 1837

Bombus ternarius, commonly known as the Orange-belted Bumblebee or Tricoloured Bumble Bee,[1] is a yellow, orange and black bumblebee that is commonly found throughout the United States and parts of Canada.[2]

Description

Drone, notice yellow band after two orange bands

Bombus ternarius is a small, fairly slender bumblebee. The queen is 17–19 mm long, the worker 8–13 mm and the drone 9.5–13 mm.

The queen and the workers are black on the head, with a few pale yellow hairs. The thorax and the first abdominal segment are yellow, abdominal segments 2 to 3 are orange, and the rest of the abdomen is black.

The drone has a yellow head with a few black hairs. The coloration of the thorax and abdomen is similar to that of the females, with the exception that the abdominal segment 4 is yellow and the last abdominal segments are yellow on the sides. The fur of the drone is longer than that of the females.[3] Before the introduction of what are commonly known as honey bees, bumblebees were the only honey producing bee in North America, however, only in very small quantities.

Food sources

Major plants visited include Rubus, goldenrods, Vaccinium and milkweeds.[3]

References

  1. ^ Eaton, E.R. & Kaufman, K. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, New York:Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
  2. ^ University of Maine Cooperative Extension. "Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators: Enhancing Their Habitat in Maine". http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/7153.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-30. 
  3. ^ a b American Museum of Natural History


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