Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, Bombus terricola
Excerpted from Bumble Bees of Wisconsin
One of the rarest bumble bees in Wisconsin. Once one of the most common in the wetlands of central
Wisconsin, now we struggle to locate populations. This species is a candidate for protection under the
endangered species act.
Body hair medium length and even. Thorax yellow on the front third, and all black on the back
two-thirds. First abdominal segment black, second two dark yellow, often with a darker patch on the
front of the first yellow segment. Remainder of the tail black, with a fringe of small yellow hairs on the
margin of segment 5. Males lack corbiculae, or the flattened midleg of the hind leg used for
transporting pollen.
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Queen length: 18 mm
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Female Worker length: 9-14 mm
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Drone length: 13-17 mm
Somewhat shorter colony cycles, but we don’t know much about this species. Queens emerge
April/May depending on weather. Workers can be found late May to August/September. New queens
and males anywhere from June to September.
Bombus terricola is thought to be historically distributed across the state. However, modern records
only find it in select places, including the marshy wetlands of central Wisconsin.
Cranberry
Milkweed
Beardtongue
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