Can't identify this bee - Ask Extension
I took this photo today in my front yard. I can't seem to figure out what it is. Can you please help?
Thanks in advance,
Shaktari
Knowledgebase
Can't identify this bee #799412
Asked July 04, 2022, 11:35 PM EDT
I took this photo today in my front yard. I can't seem to figure out what it is. Can you please help?
Thanks in advance,
Shaktari
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Shaktari,
What a beautiful image! A number of bumble bees are difficult to identify from a microscope and often need a specimen to confirm. What is clear from your image is that this is a male bumble bee, which indicates that the colony this bee came from is nearing the end of its reproductive cycle (i.e., will result in mated females, or gynes, which signals the end of the colony). Males often have different color patterns compared with female workers or queens. This bee is probably exceptional in this regard. Our taxonomist thinks it is a Van Dyke bumble bee (Bombus vandykei), which have males that are almost completely yellow, whereas females are often largely black with yellow bands (particularly in Southern Oregon). The Van Dyke bumble bee is a western species that is mostly found in the Cascades, but also more rarely in the Coast range, and extends from northern Washington to Southern California.
What a beautiful image! A number of bumble bees are difficult to identify from a microscope and often need a specimen to confirm. What is clear from your image is that this is a male bumble bee, which indicates that the colony this bee came from is nearing the end of its reproductive cycle (i.e., will result in mated females, or gynes, which signals the end of the colony). Males often have different color patterns compared with female workers or queens. This bee is probably exceptional in this regard. Our taxonomist thinks it is a Van Dyke bumble bee (Bombus vandykei), which have males that are almost completely yellow, whereas females are often largely black with yellow bands (particularly in Southern Oregon). The Van Dyke bumble bee is a western species that is mostly found in the Cascades, but also more rarely in the Coast range, and extends from northern Washington to Southern California.