Obscure bumblebee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Obscure bumblebee |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Bombus
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| Species: |
caliginosus
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The obscure bumblebee (Bombus caliginosus) is a type of bumblebee. It lives along the West Coast of the United States. You can find it from Washington state, through Oregon, and all the way down to Southern California. It even lives as far south as the San Jacinto Mountains.
What Does the Obscure Bumblebee Look Like?
The obscure bumblebee looks a lot like another bumblebee called the yellow-faced bumblebee (B. vosnesenskii). It's hard to tell them apart just by looking! Scientists usually need to check the male bees very closely to be sure.
However, there are a few small differences. The obscure bumblebee often has longer hairs on its body. Also, it has yellow hairs on the underside of its belly. The yellow-faced bumblebee only has black hairs there.
Life of the Obscure Bumblebee
Obscure bumblebees visit many different kinds of plants. They have been seen on plants from 19 different plant families!
- Worker bees are often found on plants from the Fabaceae, or legume, family. This includes plants like lupines and clovers.
- Queen bees prefer plants from the Ericaceae, or heath, family. Rhododendrons are an example of these plants.
- Male bees are most often seen on plants from the Asteraceae, or aster, family. This family includes thistles.
Some common plants that worker bees visit include ceanothus, sweet peas, Rubus (like blackberries), and willows.
Life Cycle
The life of an obscure bumblebee colony follows a yearly pattern.
- New queens wake up from their winter sleep (hibernation) in late January.
- The first worker bees appear in early March.
- Male bees start to show up by the end of April.
- The whole colony usually breaks up in late October. At this time, all the bees die, except for the new queens. These new queens will then hibernate and start new colonies next year.
- Hatfield, R., et al. 2014. Bombus caliginosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 March 2016.
