A Native: The Yellow-faced Bumblebee

A yellow-faced bumble bee comes in for a landing on a California poppy. Photograph copyright Anne M. Rosenthal.

One of our most recognizable native bees, the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, has a yellow face and a narrow yellow band at the end of the abdomen. In early spring, you may spot the huge female flying slowly just above the ground, searching for her nest site. The sterile workers are much smaller, although they vary quite a bit in size. The first generation of workers is raised by the queen, with subsequent workers raised by the initial brood. Males and new queens are produced in fall, followed by mating, then hibernation by the new queens.

This yellow-faced bumble bee is gathering pollen from a rose flower. Pollen is carried on the back leg by queens and workers. Photograph copyright Anne M. Rosenthal.

Dew weights down a yellow-faced bumble bee early in the morning. Photograph copyright Anne M. Rosenthal.

As night falls, a yellow-faced bumble bee, too cold to fly, hooks itself to a plant. Photograph copyright Anne M. Rosenthal.


Reference:

Powell, J. and C. Hogue. 1979. California Insects. University of California Press, Berkeley.