Bombus pensylvanicus
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Bombus pensylvanicus, the American bumblebee, is a threatened species of bumblebee native to North America. It occurs in eastern Canada, throughout much of the Eastern United States, and much of Mexico. Once the most prevalent bumblebee in the southern United States, populations of Bombus pensylvanicus have decreased significantly in recent years, including in its scientific namesake state of Pennsylvania, where its numbers are considered critically low. Overall, the population dropped nearly 90% in just the first two decades of the 21st century.
Bombus pensylvanicus tends to live and nest in open farmland and fields. It feeds on several food plants, favoring sunflowers and clovers, and functions as a pollinator. Bombus pensylvanicus belongs to the order Hymenoptera (consisting of ants, wasps, bees, and sawflies), the family Apidae (consisting of cuckoo, digger, carpenter, bumble, and honeybees), the subfamily Apinae (consisting of honey, orchid, bumble, long-horned, and digger bees), and the genus Bombus (consisting of bumblebees). Within Bombus, B. pensylvanicus belongs to the subgenus Thoracobombus, which includes species such as Bombus armeniacus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an American Bumble Bee sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 262 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Bumble Bee in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and November–February, the lowest months. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in March.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate American Bumble Bee sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Badlands National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Apidae
The closest relatives of the American Bumble Bee that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Southern Carpenter Bee (about 30%), Eastern Carpenter Bee (about 10%) and Florida Small Carpenter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (26 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
