Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Bombus terricola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Gros Morne National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

7 Verified sightings at Gros Morne National Park From 2019 to 2026
97 In all 5 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee

Bombus terricola, the yellow-banded bumble bee, is a species of bee in the genus Bombus. It is native to southern Canada and the east and midwest of the United States. It possesses complex behavioral traits, such as the ability to adapt to a queenless nest, choose which flower to visit, and regulate its temperature to fly during cold weather. It was at one time a common species, but has declined in numbers since the late 1990s, likely due to urban development and parasite infection. It is a good pollinator of wild flowers and crops such as alfalfa, potatoes, raspberries, and cranberries.

B. terricola belongs to the order Hymenoptera, which consists of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. B. terricola belongs to the family Apidae, which encompasses bumble bees, honey bees, stingless bees, and more. Within this, it is part of the genus Bombus, which consists of bumble bees. Kirby first defined this species in 1837. Bombus occidentalis has been speculated to be a subspecies of B. terricola, but most experts now agree that it is its own distinct species. B. terricola is also closely related to B. affinis both phylogenetically and in terms of pheromone signalling... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
2 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Gros Morne National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee sighting in Gros Morne National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 83 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.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Gros Morne National Park?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee in Gros Morne National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Banded 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.

Which relatives of the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee live in Gros Morne National Park?

Same genus: Bombus

The closest relatives of the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee that you can see in Gros Morne National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Tricolored Bumble Bee (about 30%), Northern Amber Bumble Bee (about 30%) and Half-Black Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Gros Morne National Park (7 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.

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