Bombus ephippiatus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Bombus ephippiatus is a species of bumblebee native to Mexico and Central America. This is a variable species. There are a number of color polymorphisms, with body hairs in shades of white, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black. Its species boundaries are not entirely clear. Some forms are similar to Bombus wilmattae, which may actually be the same species. There may also be some similar specimens in the area that are an as yet undescribed species.
This bee feeds on many kinds of flowers. It is active year-round in some areas. It generally occupies pine-oak forest and other kinds of mountain forest habitat. Its restriction to high-elevation regions may have produced physical isolation that led to its many color polymorphisms.
It is an efficient pollinator of tomato plants. The overcollection of queens from the wild for use in agricultural operations is a potential threat to the species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Bumble Bee sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 299 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Bumble Bee in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mesoamerican 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.
8th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Mesoamerican Bumble Bee sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%), Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Mexico, about 50%) and Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Mesoamerican Bumble Bee that you can see in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Bombus volucelloides (about 10%) and Black-Clothed Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mesoamerican Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (35 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.
