Bombus perplexus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 513th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and June–July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Perplexing Bumble Bee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and August–February, the lowest months.
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.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Perplexing Bumble Bee sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 20%), Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Perplexing Bumble Bee that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Common Eastern Bumble Bee (about 40%), Two-Spotted Bumble Bee (about 10%) and Brown-Belted Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Perplexing Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (8 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.
