Bombus borealis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Bombus borealis is a species of bumblebee known commonly as the northern amber bumblebee. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs across Canada and Alaska and the northern and eastern contiguous United States.
The queen is 1.8 to 2.2 centimeters long. It has yellow hairs on the body and pale to white hairs on the head. The worker is similar in coloration and measures 1.3 centimeters in length. The male is 1.4 to 1.7 centimeters long.
This species is generally found in woodland habitat. It usually nests underground, and males congregate nearby to seek mates. This species feeds on several plant taxa, including milkvetches, thistles, wild blackberries, goldenrods, comfrey, clovers, and vetches. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Amber Bumble Bee sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 112 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.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Amber Bumble Bee in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. That is one of Elk Island National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Amber 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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Northern Amber Bumble Bee sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 30%), Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Northern Amber Bumble Bee that you can see in Elk Island National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Tricolored Bumble Bee (about 30%), Half-Black Bumble Bee (about 10%) and Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Amber Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Elk Island National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
