Bombus frigidus
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Bombus frigidus, the frigid bumblebee, is a rare species of bumblebee largely found in Canada and parts of the United States. These bees have adapted to their cold environment by being able to keep their internal temperature within a certain range while also being able to expel heat to keep the colony warm. An additional adaptation to the cold is their reduced length of copulation. Also, B. frigidus has developed a relationship with Mertensia paniculata so that the flowers' color signals to the bees when to obtain nectar.
Bombus frigidus was described in 1854 by Frederick Smith in the Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Some species from the Appalachians have been included with this species in the past, but not in newer sources. This bee can be confused with Bombus mixtus and Bombus balteatus. Bees in the family Apidae consist of honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees.
Bombus frigidus have a yellow thorax and T1–T2. T1–T5 refers to the dorsal abdomen of the bee with T1 being closer to the thorax-abdomen division. A black band is present between the wings (the band may not be there for some males... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Frigid Bumble Bee sighting in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 27 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Frigid Bumble Bee in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month. October to March have too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Frigid Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Frigid Bumble Bee sightings, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kluane National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Banff National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Bombus
The closest relatives of the Frigid Bumble Bee that you can see in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Forest Bumble Bee (about 50%), McKay's Western Bumble Bee (about 40%) and Yellow-Fronted Bumble Bee (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Frigid Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (26 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.
