Two-Spotted Bumble Bee

Two-Spotted Bumble Bee

Bombus bimaculatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Baltimore

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

96 Verified sightings at Baltimore
341 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Two-Spotted Bumble Bee

The two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus) is a species of social bumble bee found in the eastern half of the United States and the adjacent south-eastern part of Canada. In older literature this bee is often referred to as Bremus bimaculatus, Bremus being a synonym for Bombus. The bee's common name comes from the two yellow spots on its abdomen. Unlike many of the other species of bee in the genus Bombus, B. bimaculatus is not on the decline, but instead is very stable. They are abundant pollinators that forage at a variety of plants.

Bombus bimaculatus is in the subgenus Pyrobombus, which is closely related to the subgenera Alpinobombus and Bombus out of the 15 total. Within Pyrobombus, B. bimaculatus is most closely related to B. monticola, B. sylvicola, and B. lapponicus. Additionally, B. bimaculatus can oftentimes be confused with B. impatiens and B. griseocollis, as their colorations are very similar.

Bombus bimaculatus was first described by Ezra Townsend Cresson, an American entomologist, in 1863. Workers look very similar to queens, with the two mainly distinguished by size. Sometimes large workers can be mistaken for... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee in Baltimore?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee sighting in Baltimore on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 54th most-seen of the 705 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee in Baltimore?

June

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee in Baltimore on a given day, against under 5% in August to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Two-Spotted Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Baltimore the best place to see a Two-Spotted Bumble Bee?

9th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Two-Spotted Bumble Bee sightings, Baltimore ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 40%), Boston (United States, about 20%) and Chicago (United States, about 20%).

Where does the Two-Spotted Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Two-Spotted Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Baltimore (96 verified sightings), 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.

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