black-and-gold bumble bee

(Bombus auricomus)

Conservation Status
black-and-gold bumble bee
Photo by Gerry Garcia
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Black-and-gold bumble bee is common, large, colonial bumble bee. It occurs in North America east of the Rocky mountains. It is common in southern Minnesota, less common in the north. It is one of the largest bumble bees in Minnesota.

The female (worker) bee is 11 16 to ¾ (18 to 20 mm) long. The hairs on the head are mostly black. The top of the head (vertex) is densely pitted (punctate) in the middle and smooth at the sides, and there is a dense band of yellow hairs at the rear. There are two large compound eyes, one on each side of the head, and three small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangular pattern at the top of the head between the compound eyes. The middle ocellus is larger than the the two lateral ones. The tops of the small (lateral) ocelli are distinctly below a virtual line (supraorbital line) with the top of the compound eyes. The antennae have 12 segments consisting of one basal segment (scape), one small connecting segment (pedicel), and ten more segments (flagellomeres). The scape is long, half as long as the all of the flagellomeres together. The first flagellomere is as long as the next two combined. The space below the compound eye (malar space) is smooth and shiny. The tongue is long.

The thorax has three segments and is densely covered with relatively short hairs. The first segment is yellow, the second is black, and third is black with a very narrow yellow band at the rear.

The abdomen has six segments and is densely covered with relatively short hairs. The first segment is black but may have some yellow hairs on the sides. The second and third segments are entirely yellow. Segments 4 through 6 are entirely black.

Females are variable in color. Most are as described above. On light-colored individuals, the third thoracic segment is partially or entirely yellow, and the first abdominal segment has some yellow hairs on the sides or has yellow sides with some yellow hairs in the middle.

The wings are dark brownish tinged at the base, lighter tinged approaching the tip.

The legs are black.

The queen is similar but larger.

The male (drone) is similar but has 7 abdominal segments and 13 antennae segments. The thorax is yellow with a round black spot in the center. Abdominal segments 1 through 3 are yellow. The compound eyes are large.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Male: to ¾ (17 to 20 mm)

Worker: 11 16 to ¾ (18 to 20 mm)

Queen: ¾ to 1 (20 to 25 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Grasslands, open areas

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

May to September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

The colonies are small, usually having about 35 workers.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

The queen lays eggs individually in separate cells.

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

Larvae are fed both nectar for carbohydrates and pollen for protein.

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Adults feed mostly on nectar but also on some pollen.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  8/20/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)  
 

Infraorder

Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)  
 

Superfamily

Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)  
  Epifamily Anthophila (bees)  
 

Family

Apidae (honey bees, bumble bees, and allies)  
 

Subfamily

Apinae (apine bees)  
 

Tribe

Bombini  
 

Genus

Bombus (bumble bees)  
  Subgenus Bombias  
       
 

Some authors separate bumble bees and orchid bees into the subfamily Bombinae. NCBI follows this classification. Most authors follow Michener (2007) and include those groups in the subfamily Apinae with the honey bees.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

black and gold bumble bee

black-and-gold bumble bee

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Clypeus

On insects, a hardened plate on the face above the upper lip (labrum).

 

Malar space

In Hymenoptera, the space, equivalent to the cheek, between the bottom of the compound eye and the base of the mandible.

 

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.

 

Vertex

The upper surface of an insect’s head.

Minnesota Bumble Bee Identification Guide

The University of MN Bee Lab has a free field identification guide to Minnesota bumble bees. It is indispensable for amateur naturalists or anyone wanting to identify the bumble bee in their photo. Click on the image below to download the guide.

Guide to MN Bumble Bees

 

 
 
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MSorenson

 
 

Landed on deck railing and appears to be working on something.

 
    black-and-gold bumble bee      
 

Clark O

 
    black-and-gold bumble bee   black-and-gold bumble bee  
 

Margot Avey

 
    black-and-gold bumble bee      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    black-and-gold bumble bee      
 

Gerry Garcia

 
    black-and-gold bumble bee      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Bombus auricomus
USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab
  Bombus auricomus  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  B. auricomus
Joseph Napper
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 23, 2015

Black and gold bumble bee

 
  Bombus auricomus on Bee Balm 2018
margy stewart
 
   
 
About

Published on Jan 12, 2019

Here Black-and-Gold Bumble Bees find nectar in Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa), one of the few species of wildflower to bloom during the drought summer of 2018. Bee Balm refused to bloom this year as it usually does in the upland native prairie, but it did bloom in our Creek Field, where we have a bottomland prairie restoration going on. B. auricomus likes prairie, so I was honored that they came to our prairie restoration!

 
  Bombus foraging returning to nest
Karl Foord
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 12, 2015

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  MSorenson
8/24/2023

Location: Andover, MN

Landed on deck railing and appears to be working on something.

black-and-gold bumble bee  
  Richard
9/5/2022

Location: Mankato

feeding on morning glory

 
  Lori Quinlan
7/17/2022

Location: Nokomis area in Mpls

1 very large Bombus auricomus Bee feeding on lavender bee balm in our yard.

 
  Margot Avey
6/22/2021

Location:Lake Harriet Trial Gardens in Minneapolis

black-and-gold bumble bee  
  Mike Kaselnak
5/24/2021

Location: Eden Prairie

3 are feeding on wild geranium

   
  Judy K.
9/8/2020

Location: Shrewsbury, MA

Found on ground, on leaves near shed.

   
  Alfredo Colon
9/25/2019

Location: Woodbury, MN

black-and-gold bumble bee  
  Gerry Garcia
8/4/2019

Location: Lyndale Park, Minneapolis, MN

black-and-gold bumble bee  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 8/20/2019

Last Updated:

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