Bombus fervidus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Bombus fervidus, the golden northern bumble bee or yellow bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to North America. It has a yellow-colored abdomen and thorax. Its range includes the North American continent, excluding much of the southern United States, Alaska, and the northern parts of Canada. It is common in cities and farmland, with populations concentrated in the Northeastern part of the United States. It is similar in color and range to its sibling species, Bombus californicus, though sometimes also confused with the American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) or black and gold bumblebee (Bombus auricomus). It has complex behavioral traits, which includes a coordinated nest defense to ward off predators. B. fervidus is an important pollinator, so recent population decline is a particular concern.
Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius first identified Bombus fervidus, also known as the yellow bumblebee or golden northern bumblebee, in 1798. B. fervidus is a member of the order Hymenoptera, which comprises wasps, ants, bees, and sawflies. Bombus is the Latin word for "buzzing". It is also in the Apidae, which is a diverse family of bees including... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Northern Bumble Bee sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 332 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 242 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Northern Bumble Bee in Salt Lake City on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. Those are among Salt Lake City's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 70 mm in December.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Northern 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 12 cities where we can rate Golden Northern Bumble Bee sightings, Salt Lake City has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Denver (United States, about 20%) and Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Golden Northern Bumble Bee that you can see in Salt Lake City (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Hunt's Bumble Bee (about 30%), Brown-Belted Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Nevada Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Northern Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Salt Lake City (332 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.
