A threatened species of bumblebee native to North America. It is relatively large and very fuzzy. Compared to other native bumblebees, Bombus pensylvanicus tends to be paler yellow and with a different pattern of yellow and black banding. Once the most prevalent bumblebee in the southern United States, populations of Bombus pensylvanicus have decreased significantly in recent years.
Forages nectar from flowers, especially clover and sunflowers.
Unlike many of our native solitary bees, American Bumblebees are highly social and form annual colonies consisting of a single queen, female workers, and males. New queens emerge from their underground overwintering site in late May and June. The queen must immediately forage to rebuild her body reserves. Once she finds a suitable nest site, she collects nectar and pollen from flowers to support the production of her eggs. The bees nest mostly on the surface of the ground, among long grass or hay stacks, but occasionally underground.
Native bees are crucial to pollination of plants including agricultural crops.
Vulnerable
