Bombus californicus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Seattle on a given day, based on 296 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 19th most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a California Bumble Bee in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. Those are among Seattle's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in November.
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.
Yes
Of the 7 cities where we can rate California Bumble Bee sightings, Seattle has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come 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 Seattle (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee (about 20%), Black-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee (about 20%), 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 Seattle (296 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.
