Bombus huntii

Greene, 1860

Hunt's Bumble Bee, Hunt Bumblebee

Bombus huntii is a native western North American with a broad range spanning western Canada to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The occupies diverse from desert scrub to high-elevation pine and has been documented foraging on at least eight plant . While have declined, it remains among the more common bumble bees in western North America. Its was sequenced as part of the Beenome100 project.

Bombus huntii by no rights reserved, uploaded by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bombus huntii: /ˈbɒm.bəs ˈhʌn.ti.aɪ/

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Habitat

Desert scrub, prairies, and meadows in the northern portion of its range. In Mexico, occurs in pine at high elevations, including the summits of tall volcanoes.

Distribution

Western North America from western Canada and the United States (east to Manitoba and Minnesota) south through Mexico to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.

Seasonality

Active in summer and fall in northern portions of range; flies throughout much of the year in Mexico.

Diet

Forages on rabbitbrush, thistles, sunflowers, penstemons, phacelias, currants, rudbeckias, and clovers.

Life Cycle

colony cycle with underground nesting. Colonies contain a , , males, and new queens. Only mated queens overwinter; colonies do not persist beyond one year.

Behavior

Nests underground. exhibit division of labor in nest .

Ecological Role

of wild flowering plants; experiments indicate efficient pollination of crop plants including tomatoes via buzz pollination.

Human Relevance

Susceptible to viruses including Black Virus and Deformed Wing Virus. Considered a viable candidate for commercial rearing as an alternative to non-native bees for crop pollination. Subject to declines attributed to loss, , climate change, and spillover from managed bees.

More Details

Conservation Status

Has experienced declines but remains one of the more common bumble bees in western North America.

Genomic Research

Whole sequenced as part of the Beenome100 project.