California Bumble Bee
Bombus californicus
Apidae
Bombus
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Description
Bombus californicus is a mid-sized bumble bee (large on the bee scale), mostly black in color, with black between wing bases and yellow hair in front of the wing bases. Females have a black face, whereas male bees, as shown above-right, may have some yellow facial hairs. Its 4th abdominal tergum is always yellow.
Nectar/
Pollen Plants
A flower generalist. On Mount Diablo, is seen on hedgenettles, Western Wallflower, thistles, lupines and Pacific Pea.
Habits
A dark bumble bee that lives in the West, thought by some to be a subspecies of Bombus fervidus. Eusocial, they nest primarily underground in abandoned rodent nests, or sometimes in grass just above ground. Thought to have suffered from competition with other bumbles, such as Bombus vosnesenskii.
Season
February - September
