rusty patched bumblebee

Description:

Both queens and workers have black hair that covers their head, much of their legs, and the bottom of their abdomens. They both have completely yellow hair on the majority of their abdomen, except for a small section near the area closest to the rear end of the bee.

Habitat:

They require different types of habitats, each for foraging, nesting, and hibernating. It needs a temperate climate, and can even withstand cold temperatures. It may visit a number of sites for foraging, including farmland, marshes, wooden areas, and sand dunes. Their nesting habitat is often found underground. Native: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Canada.

Notes:

Spotted in the open fields with clover along Hwy 26 near the north Cotton Lake road. Until the 1980's, it was one of the most common species of bumblebee. This species pollinates up to 65 different species of plants such as, apples, onion, plums, cranberry's, alfalfa. They are in a decline because of pesticide use, habitat loss, and pathogen spillover.