Bombus ephippiatus
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Bumble Bee sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 187 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Bumble Bee in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, against about 10% 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.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Mesoamerican Bumble Bee sightings, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park ranks 4th at about 30%. 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mesoamerican Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (169 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.
