Brown Belted Bumble Bee, Bombus griseocolis
Excerpted from Bumble Bees of Wisconsin
Likely the third most common of Wisconsin bumble bee species, B. griseocollis gets its name from the
thin belt of red/brown hair on its second abdominal segment. The brown-belted bumble bee has one of
the largest ranges of any US bumble bees, spanning coast-to-coast.
Hair short and even. Thorax mostly yellow, with a circular patch of all black hairs between the base of
the wings. First abdominal segment fully yellow, with workers typically having a brown or red patch of
hair forming a crescent on segment 2. Queens occasionally have this coloration, but also often have an
entirely yellow second abdominal segment. Males with similar coloration to workers, but with a yellow
hair patch on the front of the face (similar to B. impatiens). Males also lack corbiculae, or the flattened
midleg of the hind leg used for transporting pollen.
Typical colony life cycle, with queens emerging in late spring, and peak worker number in July. New
queens and drones can be found from late June to September.
The brown-belted bumble bee can be found throughout Wisconsin.
Thistle
Milkweed
Sunflower
Buzz Pollination
Slo-Mo Footage of a Bumble Bee Dislodging Pollen
Look Inside a Bumblebee Nest
How to Build a Bumble Bee House
Development of Colony and Nest in the Bumblebee