Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee

Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee

Bombus auricomus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

1,836 Verified sightings at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]
11 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee

Bombus auricomus is a species of bumblebee known by the common name black and gold bumblebee. It is native to eastern North America, including Ontario in Canada and much of the eastern United States, as far west as the Great Plains.

This species creates above-ground nests in grassland and other open habitat types. It feeds at many types of plants, including thistles, prairie clovers, delphiniums, teasels, echinacea, bergamot, penstemons, clovers, and vetches.

This is a fairly large bumblebee; workers and males are about 1.7 to 2.0 cm long, while queens can be up to 2.5 cm in length. This bee was previously thought to be conspecific with the Nevada bumblebee (B. nevadensis), but the two are now considered separate species. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee sighting in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, based on 1,836 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 672 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

July

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-And-Gold 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 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] the best place to see a Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee?

Yes

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee sightings, Minneapolis [Saint Paul] has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Philadelphia (United States, about 10%) and Chicago (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee live in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

Same genus: Bombus

The closest relatives of the Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee that you can see in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Common Eastern Bumble Bee (about 60%), Brown-Belted Bumble Bee (about 40%) and Two-Spotted Bumble Bee (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (1,836 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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