Bombus californicus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Bombus californicus, the California bumble bee, is a species of bumble bee in the family Apidae. Bombus californicus is in the subgenus Thoracobombus. It is found in Central America and the western half of North America. Bombus californicus is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
In a 2015 study, Bombus californicus was found to be endangered in 62% of surveyed areas. In 2022, researchers also collected DNA samples from bumblebees across the state of California, reconfirming that the Bombus californicus population is still declining rapidly. Bombus californicus, which was typically found all over the state, is now being found less and less in southern California.
Bombus californicus, along with many other bumblebees in California, is on the brink of extinction. The issue is that there are not many people who actually know about these groups. On social media, the majority of the younger generations are not going to act on conservation media that is being shown to them. One way that has been shown to work is to use a peripheral route in persuasion or have a celebrity or someone trustworthy to convince the younger generations (Gen Y,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a California Bumble Bee sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 319 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 88th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a California Bumble Bee in Los Angeles on a given day, against under 5% in August to February, the lowest months. Those are among Los Angeles's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California 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 7 cities where we can rate California Bumble Bee sightings, Los Angeles ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, about 10%), Portland (United States, about 10%) and Sacramento (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the California Bumble Bee that you can see in Los Angeles (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Sonoran Bumble Bee (about 10%), Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee (about 10%) and Black-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (319 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.
