The female worker bee is approximately 5/8 inch in length, photos 1 & 2. It has an all black face. The thorax is covered with thick, yellowish-tan hair. The first abdominal segment is the same color, but the second segment is more of a light brown color, hence the name “brownbelted.” The remainder of the abdomen is black. The wings are clear brown. The legs are black. The queen, photos 3 & 4, is very similar in appearance to the workers, but is larger overall, and is about 1 inch in length. The male (not pictured) is in between the size of the worker and the queen, and has large, black bulging eyes. This bumble bee species was identified by a volunteer expert at the BugGuide Website.
The Brown-belted Bumble Bee is probably common in our area. They have been seen in mid-June at Fontenelle Forest.
Bumble bees are the only social bees that are native to the U.S. The queen is the only one to survive the winter. In spring the queen starts a new nest and raises the first generation of female worker bees. The males are not produced until the end of the year. Shortly after the queen is fertilized she goes into hibernation for the winter.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.