Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee

Bombus flavifrons

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Tribe: Bombini
Genus: Bombus
Species: flavifrons

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bombus flavifrons: //ˈbɒmbəs ˈflævɪˌfrɒnz//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Bombus (Pyrobombus) flavifrons by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Bombus flavifrons by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Summary

Bombus flavifrons, commonly known as the yellow-fronted bumble bee, is a robust bumblebee characterized by its distinct coloration and habitat preference. It plays a significant role in pollination across various ecosystems in North America.

Physical Characteristics

The yellow-fronted bumble bee has a dense, untidy fur with a yellow head featuring intermixed black hairs in the posterior part. The thorax exhibits a mixed black and yellow coloration, often having a central black field. The first two abdominal segments (terga) are yellow, with potential black fields in females. Terga 3 and 4 are red, and the tail is black with possible yellow fields. Size varies, with queens measuring 13-16 mm in body length and 27-34 mm in wingspan; males are 11-12 mm in length and 25-26 mm in wingspan; workers are 9-12 mm in length and 19-27 mm in wingspan.

Identification Tips

Distinguished from B. centralis by its longer malar space and black hairs intermixed on the scutum anterior to the black interalar band. Notable yellow T1-T2 and red T3-T4 color pattern.

Habitat

Occurs in tundra, taiga, and mountain forests and meadows; prefers humid and forested areas or higher elevations.

Distribution

Widely distributed across much of Canada, Alaska, and the western contiguous United States, particularly well known in the Pacific Northwest and high elevations in the Rocky Mountains.

Diet

Feeds on several flowering plants, primarily from families such as Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Saxifragaceae, and Lamiaceae.

Life Cycle

Queens emerge from hibernation at the end of March and often build nests in disused mouse nests. First workers appear about a month later, with the nest declining by the end of August. All inhabitants die except for the new queens, which hibernate in the earth.

Reproduction

Reproduction occurs with the queens mating before hibernation.

Ecosystem Role

Pollinator for various flowering plants.

Evolution

Related subspecies include B. f. dimidiatus, characterized by red fur being replaced by black.