Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Bombus terricola

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

13 Verified sightings at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]
97 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Bombus terricola, the yellow-banded bumble bee, is a species of bee in the genus Bombus. It is native to southern Canada and the east and midwest of the United States. It possesses complex behavioral traits, such as the ability to adapt to a queenless nest, choose which flower to visit, and regulate its temperature to fly during cold weather. It was at one time a common species, but has declined in numbers since the late 1990s, likely due to urban development and parasite infection. It is a good pollinator of wild flowers and crops such as alfalfa, potatoes, raspberries, and cranberries.

B. terricola belongs to the order Hymenoptera, which consists of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. B. terricola belongs to the family Apidae, which encompasses bumble bees, honey bees, stingless bees, and more. Within this, it is part of the genus Bombus, which consists of bumble bees. Kirby first defined this species in 1837. Bombus occidentalis has been speculated to be a subspecies of B. terricola, but most experts now agree that it is its own distinct species. B. terricola is also closely related to B. affinis both phylogenetically and in terms of pheromone signalling... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
2 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee sighting in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 384th most-seen of the 672 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Banded 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 Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee?

Among the best

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee sightings, Minneapolis [Saint Paul] ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Montreal (Canada, under 5%), Edmonton (Canada, under 5%) and Toronto (Canada, under 5%).

Where does the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (13 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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