Bombus vandykei

(Frison, 1927)

Van Dyke's bumble bee, Van Dyke's bumblebee

vandykei, commonly known as Van Dyke's , is a of bumble bee to western North America. The species was first described by Frison in 1927 and is named in honor of Henry Van Dyke. It is a -sized bumble bee with distinctive coloration that distinguishes it from closely related species. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern with a stable .

Bombus vandykei by (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda. Used under a CC-BY license.

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

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bombus vandykei: /ˈbɒm.bəs vænˈdaɪ.ki/

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

Identification

vandykei can be distinguished from the closely related Bombus flavifrons (-fronted ) by its predominantly black with only the first yellow, whereas B. flavifrons has more extensive yellow on the abdomen. It differs from Bombus vosnesenskii (yellow-faced bumble bee) by the presence of the black on the and the more limited yellow on the abdomen. The yellow distinguishes it from with black or partially black faces such as Bombus melanopygus.

Images

Habitat

Found in diverse across its range including coastal scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, montane meadows, and urban gardens. The shows adaptability to both natural and disturbed habitats. It occurs from low elevations to montane zones, with specific elevational range varying by region.

Distribution

Western North America, ranging from British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon, and California. The eastern extent of its range reaches into Idaho and western Montana. The is most abundant in the Pacific coastal states and provinces.

Seasonality

Active from early spring through late fall, with peak activity during summer months. emerge from in early spring to establish colonies. are present throughout the growing season. Males and new queens are produced in late summer and fall, with mating occurring before queens enter hibernation.

Diet

forager that collects nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowering plants. Documented visiting lavender (Lavandula), Phacelia californica, and other and ornamental flowers. As with all , are fed a mixture of pollen and nectar (), while consume nectar for energy and pollen for .

Life Cycle

colony cycle. Solitary emerge from in spring and found colonies. Queens lay that develop into . Colony grows through summer with worker production. In late summer, queens switch to producing males and new queens. Males leave the nest and do not return. New queens mate and enter hibernation to found colonies the following year. The original queen, males, and workers die with the onset of winter.

Behavior

Colonial nesting in underground cavities, often repurposing abandoned rodent burrows or other pre-existing cavities. forage during daylight hours, with activity patterns influenced by temperature and floral resource availability. Workers communicate resource location through unspecified means but do not perform the of . Defensive includes stinging when the nest is threatened; workers can multiple times unlike honey bee workers.

Ecological Role

Important of wildflowers and agricultural . Contributes to through buzz of certain plant . Serves as for various including beewolf (Philanthus spp.) and birds. Participates in nectar microbial dynamics as documented in research on sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus auranticus).

Human Relevance

Valued as a in gardens and agricultural settings. Has been documented in urban garden environments such as Vacaville, California. Not commercially reared for services. Subject of citizen science through platforms such as iNaturalist. No known negative impacts on human activities.

Similar Taxa

Bombus flavifronsSimilar thoracic coloration but differs in having more extensive yellow on abdominal T2-T3, whereas B. vandykei has T2-T6 black
Bombus vosnesenskiiShares but lacks the black thoracic and has more extensive yellow on
Bombus melanopygusOverlaps in range and but has black and different abdominal color pattern

More Details

Taxonomic History

Originally described as a Bremus flavifrons vandykei by Frison in 1927, later elevated to full status as vandykei. The specific epithet honors Henry Van Dyke, an who contributed to the study of North .

Research Documentation

Photographed by Gwen Erdosh and documented in scientific literature on - interactions. Has been observed sharing flowers with () on Phacelia californica in research settings.