Black-tailed Bumble Bee
Bombus melanopygus
Also known as: Black-tailed Bumblebee · Orange-rumped Bumblebee · Orange-rumped Bumble Bee
Insecta
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- A few months
- Size
- Medium
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Social
- Colony
- Biome
- Temperate forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Flight
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Venom
- Status
- Common
About
A common bumble bee of western North America, easily told apart from other Bombus by the solid black band across the tip of its abdomen amid otherwise orange-and-black banding. Queens emerge unusually early in spring, sometimes visiting flowers while snow still lingers on the ground.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
- 2.juvenileAn immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
- 3.subadultA near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
- 4.adultFully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Apidae
- Genus
- Bombus
- Species
- Bombus melanopygus