Bombus fervidus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Bombus fervidus, the golden northern bumble bee or yellow bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to North America. It has a yellow-colored abdomen and thorax. Its range includes the North American continent, excluding much of the southern United States, Alaska, and the northern parts of Canada. It is common in cities and farmland, with populations concentrated in the Northeastern part of the United States. It is similar in color and range to its sibling species, Bombus californicus, though sometimes also confused with the American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) or black and gold bumblebee (Bombus auricomus). It has complex behavioral traits, which includes a coordinated nest defense to ward off predators. B. fervidus is an important pollinator, so recent population decline is a particular concern.
Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius first identified Bombus fervidus, also known as the yellow bumblebee or golden northern bumblebee, in 1798. B. fervidus is a member of the order Hymenoptera, which comprises wasps, ants, bees, and sawflies. Bombus is the Latin word for "buzzing". It is also in the Apidae, which is a diverse family of bees including... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Northern Bumble Bee sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 133 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 141st most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Northern Bumble Bee in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Northern 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.
7th of 12
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Golden Northern Bumble Bee sightings, Boston ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Salt Lake City (United States, about 20%), Denver (United States, about 20%) and Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Golden Northern Bumble Bee that you can see in Boston (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Common Eastern Bumble Bee (about 50%), Brown-Belted Bumble Bee (about 30%) and Two-Spotted Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Northern Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (133 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.
