Common eastern bumble bee
(Bombus impatiens)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
Common eastern bumble bee, as the common name suggests, is common. In fact, it is the most common bumble bee in eastern North America. The first abdominal segment is yellow, all others are black. The hairs on the top of the head are yellow. |
Size |
Queen: ⅝″ to 13 ⁄16″ Worker: 5 ⁄16″ to ⅝″ Male: ½″ to ⅝″ |
Similar Species |
Habitat |
Clearings in forests, roadsides, open areas, suburbs, urban areas. |
Ecology |
Season |
March to November |
Behavior |
Females carry large amounts of pollen as a wet mass on the pollen-collecting hairs (scopa) of their hind legs. |
Life Cycle |
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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 |
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Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 8/24/2025). |
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| 8/24/2025 | ||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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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 |
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Family |
Apidae (Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) |
Subfamily |
Apinae (Honey, Bumble, Longhorn, Orchid, and Digger Bees) |
Tribe |
Bombini |
Genus |
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Subgenus |
Pyrobombus |
In the not-too-distant past, bumble bees were often placed in the in the subfamily Bombinae, and sometimes in the family Bombidae. Today, both of these terms are considered taxonomically invalid, though they can still be found in use on the Web. |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Bremus impatiens |
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Common Names |
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common eastern bumble bee |
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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.
Visitor Photos
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Luciearl |
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Goldenrod, multi species bees |
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Napping on the deck railing. | |
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Unknown bumblebee on garlic chives Attracted to garlic chives. Lower bee naps as his buddy continues to work. |
Note full pollen basket. |
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Gregory Gilman |
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Mike Poeppe |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Babette Kis |
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Bombus impatiens Common Eastern bumblebee Bombus impatiens, male, on Goldenrod sp. flowers at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI photographed on October 6, 2022. The absence of corbicula, or pollen basket, on the hind leg indicates that it is a male. |
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Bobbi Johnson |
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Bill Reynolds |
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Minnesota Seasons Photos
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Slideshows
Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) |
Visitor Videos
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Other Videos |
Bombus impatiens, Bumble bees |
About
Uploaded on May 27, 2010 - |
Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Apidae: Bombus impatiens) on Blossom |
About
Uploaded on Jul 12, 2009 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (12 July 2009). "Bees are Black, with Gilt Surcingles-- / Buccaneers of Buzz / Ride abroad in ostentation / And subsist on Fuzz." --Emily Dickinson |
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.
Dawn Schonnesson
8/16/2026
Location: Washington County
1/2 black?
John Valo
9/11/2026
From this angle it is hard to tell, but it appears that the black area on the top of the thorax extends toward the rear - it is not round or oval. The hairs on the top of the head are yellow, not black. If both the first and second abdominal segments (T1 and T2) were yellow, then the abdomen would appear to be “half black,” but it does not. Together, these features point to a female common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens).
Luciearl
9/25/2025
Location: Cass County
| Luciearl 9/1/2025 |
Location: Lake Shore, MN
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Gregory Gilman |
Location: Rochester, MN |
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| Mike Poeppe 7/31/2025 |
Location: Houston, MN |
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| Luciearl 7/22/2025 |
Location: Lake Shore, MN Napping on the deck railing. |
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Alfredo Colon |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Babette Kis 10/6/2022 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI Bombus impatiens, male, on Goldenrod sp. flowers at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI photographed on October 6, 2022. The absence of corbicula, or pollen basket, on the hind leg indicates that it is a male. |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/17/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/3/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/2/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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| Alfredo Colon 9/25/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Luciearl 9/5/2018 |
Location: Lake Shore, MN Note full pollen basket. |
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Luciearl |
Location: Lake Shore Attracted to garlic chives. Lower bee naps as his buddy continues to work. |
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| Crystal Boyd 6/10 and 6/11/2013 |
Location: Uncas Dunes SNA queen |
Minnesota Seasons Sightings
