Bombus perplexus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Bombus perplexus is a species of bumblebee known by the common name confusing bumblebee. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs across Canada and into the eastern United States. The queen is 1.7 to 2.1 centimeters long and just under a centimeter wide at the abdomen. It is mostly black with areas of pale hairs. The worker female is 1.2 to 1.4 centimeters long and half a centimeter wide. It is hairier than the queen and has more yellow hairs. The abdomen is black and yellow. The male is the same size as the worker. The mandibles have reddish tips. It has white hairs on the head and legs and yellow and white hairs on the thorax.
This species occurs in the maritime regions of Canada, taiga, tundra, temperate forests, and the Canadian Prairies. It can be found in wetland habitat, wooded areas, and urban gardens. It feeds on many kinds of plants, such as bellflowers, thistles, honeysuckles, penstemons, pickerel weeds, and lindens. It may be a host to Fernald's cuckoo bumblebee (B. fernaldae). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 513 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Perplexing 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.
Yes
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Perplexing Bumble Bee sightings, Calgary has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Edmonton (Canada, about 20%) and Boston (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Perplexing Bumble Bee that you can see in Calgary (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Hunt's Bumble Bee (about 30%), Red-Belted Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Nevada Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Perplexing Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Calgary (513 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.
