Red-belted Bumble Bee, Bombus rufocinctus

Excerpted from Bumble Bees of Wisconsin

A common, and incredibly diverse bee with respect to its color patterns. Over 30 different color morphs make this species a tough one to identify readily. However, several common color patterns exist and can be easily recognized.

Physical Description

Hair medium and even. Thorax yellow, with black band between wings. Abdominal coloration extremely variable. Two primary color morphs exist, a light and dark. The light morph is pictured here. Abdominal color pattern is generally yellow-yellow-red-red-black-black from T1-T6. Dark morph color pattern has the same thoracic coloration, with the abdominal pattern being black-black-yellow-black-yellow-black from T1-T6. Queens and workers are generally a bit smaller than other common species. Males with similarly variable color patterns, but an obvious yellow beard on the middle of the face.

Activity Period

Long lived colonies. Largest densities possible during July as all three castes are present. Look for new queens in late July and early August.

Range

The red-belted bumble bee can be seen throughout Wisconsin, but it is not as common as other species. Historical and contemporary records suggest that this species makes up < 10% of records.

Preferred Flowers

 Thistle
 Goldenrod
 Clover

Bumble Bee Videos

 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