Perplexing Bumble Bee

Perplexing Bumble Bee

Bombus perplexus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Montreal

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

11 Verified sightings at Montreal
200 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Perplexing Bumble Bee

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
3 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Perplexing Bumble Bee in Montreal?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 556th most-seen of the 926 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 Perplexing Bumble Bee in Montreal?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee in Montreal on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Perplexing Bumble Bee?

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.

Is Montreal the best place to see a Perplexing Bumble Bee?

8th of 9

Of the 9 cities where we can rate Perplexing Bumble Bee sightings, Montreal ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 20%), Edmonton (Canada, about 20%) and Boston (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Perplexing Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Perplexing Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Montreal (11 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.

← Back to Montreal