Two-spotted Bumble Bee
Two-spotted Bumble Bee
Bombus bimaculatus
Insecta
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
Up to 1 yr
Size
Medium
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Colony
Biome
Temperate forest
Range
North America
Movement
Flight
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Venom
Status
Common

About

One of the earliest bumble bees to emerge each spring in eastern North America, the Two-spotted Bumble Bee can forage in near-freezing temperatures and "buzz pollinates" tomatoes and blueberries by vibrating its flight muscles at a precise frequency to shake loose pollen other bees can't reach. Its name comes from two distinctive yellow spots breaking an otherwise black abdomen.

Life cycle

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

Learn more

Taxonomy

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