Conservation Concern ³

This bumble bee, formerly relatively common across a broad swath of northern North America, has virtually vanished in recent years— despite recent intensive bee inventories, it hasn’t been seen in Yukon since the 1980s. It is an obligate nest parasite of particular bumble bees, among them the Western Bumble Bee and Yellow- banded Bumble Bee.

Description ³

A medium-sized bumble bee with a gold band across the thorax and a white tip on an otherwise black abdomen. This rare bee can be distinguished from worker and queen Western Bumble Bees by the absence of broad, concave pollen baskets on the hind leg and an abdomen that is distinctly more curved.

Typical Habitat in Yukon ³

Require open areas with abundant flowers through the summer. Areas where their host bees occur: Western and Yellow-banded bumble bees inhabit lowland meadows and open woodlands. May also parasitize Cryptic Bumble Bees, which in Yukon occur from the valley bottom up into subalpine shrub tundra.

Potential Threats in Yukon ³

Declines of host bees. Introduced pathogens from managed bees in greenhouses. Pesticide and other chemical use in agriculture.

Did You Know? ³

Queens invade other bumble bee colonies, disable or kill the host queen, and lay their eggs. After they hatch, the larvae are reared by the host workers. Cuckoo Bumble Bee queens are built for battle: their bodies are armoured with extra thick chitin and their abdomens are curled beneath them, ready to sting their host queens.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Nigel Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/insectman/503695660/
2. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/JCS%20Bombus%20bohemicus%2044111.jpg
3. (c) L.G. Johanson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• NBN Atlas

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