bumble bees

genus Bombus

Member of apine bees (subfamily Apinae)
bees (epifamily Anthophila)
insects (class Insecta)
hexapods (subphylum Hexapoda)
arthropods (phylum Arthropoda)
animals (kingdom Animalia)

Caution: There are other wild species of this genus not yet included in this guide.

Other bumble bees [PDF] can be found in the bay area but are quite rare.

There are glossaries of bumble bee body parts and leg parts.

black in the middle

yellow-faced bumble bee
Bombus vosnesenskii

yellow-faced bumble bee
Bombus vosnesenskii

yellow hairs on face and front of thorax (to wing attachment point) and a thin band near the tail (T4)
only black hairs underneath
hairs appear closely cropped
nearly indistinguishable from fog-belt bumble bee (Bombus caliginosus) below

fog-belt bumble bee
Bombus caliginosus

similar to yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) above but...

pale yellow hairs scattered underneath (S4 particularly)
shaggier hair overall
long face [long malar space between eye and mandible]

restricted to foggy coastal regions

california bumble bee
Bombus californicus

california bumble bee
Bombus californicus

black hairs on face
yellow hairs on front of thorax (to wing attachment point) and a thin band near the tail (T4)
less common

yellow in the middle

black-tailed bumble bee
Bombus melanopygus

black-tailed bumble bee
Bombus melanopygus

mixed black and yellow hairs on face
yellow hairs on top of the thorax surrounding a black patch between the wings
yellow bands at each end of the abdomen (T1, T4, and T5)

sitka bumble bee
Bombus sitkensis

sitka bumble bee
Bombus sitkensis

mixed black and yellow hairs on face
yellow hairs on top of the thorax surrounding a black patch between the wings
yellow band at the top front of the abdomen
rusty yellow around the tail

4 observed taxons / 1 unobserved taxon / 1 key

Chris’s observations: 43 (22 are research grade)

Locations:

Big Basin SP: 4
Murray Ranch SP: 4
San Bruno Mountain State & County Park: 4
Fremont Older OSP: 3
Sweeney Ridge National Recreation Area: 3
Almaden Quicksilver CP: 2
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve: 2
Long Ridge OSP: 2
Sierra Azul OSP: 2
Stevens Creek CP: 2
Castle Rock SP
Coyote Hills RP
Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood RP
Dry Creek Pioneer RP
El Corte de Madera OSP
Huckleberry Botanic RP
Lexington Reservoir CP
Pleasanton Ridge RP
Russian Ridge OSP
San Pedro Valley CP
Sanborn CP
Santa Teresa CP
Sierra Vista OSP
Skyline Ridge OSP
Ulistac Natural Area, Santa Clara

Months:

Jan.: 2
Feb.: 1
Mar.: 1
Apr.: 4
May: 12
Jun.: 12
Jul.: 2
Aug.: 8
Sep.: 1

For more details, use advanced search.

Taxon info: iNaturalist

Bay Area species: iNaturalist