Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Venom
Status: G3g4

About

One of the largest bumblebees in North America, distinguished by its wide yellow thorax and the yellow patch on its second abdominal segment. Its populations have collapsed by nearly 90% across parts of its former range since the 1990s, driven by habitat loss and pathogen spillover from commercial bees.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Species: Bombus pensylvanicus