Bombus borealis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 104 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Amber Bumble Bee in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months. Those are among Riding Mountain National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.
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.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Northern Amber Bumble Bee sightings, Riding Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Northern Amber Bumble Bee that you can see in Riding Mountain National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Tricolored Bumble Bee (about 30%), Perplexing Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Nevada Bumble Bee (about 20%), 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 Riding Mountain National Park (21 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.
