This is a small-sized bumble bee with a length of approximately 1/2 inch for a female worker bee to approximately 3/4 inch for a queen. The female (shown here) has dark hairs around the face, blond hair on the thorax and tergum one of the abdomen. Tergum two of the abdomen is entirely black. The legs have black hair. The males have light hair around the face and long antennae.
This is a common bee in the eastern part of the US, becoming less common in central Nebraska. It has an unusually long flight season from early spring to late fall.
This bee lives in very large colonies. It is a generalist in food requirements with other eastern short-tongued bumble bees. It can live almost anywhere including urban areas and intensively farmed areas.
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