Bumble Bees of North America An Identification Guide

About this book

More than ever before, there is widespread interest in studying bumble bees and the critical role they play in our ecosystems. Bumble Bees of North America is the first comprehensive guide to North American bumble bees to be published in more than a century. Richly illustrated with color photographs, diagrams, range maps, and graphs of seasonal activity patterns, Bumble Bees of North America allows amateur and professional naturalists to identify all 46 bumble bee species found north of Mexico and to understand their ecology and changing geographic distributions. Bumble Bees of North America draws on the latest molecular research, shows the enormous color variation within species, and guides readers through the many confusing convergences between species. It draws on a large repository of data from museum collections and presents state-of-the-art results on evolutionary relationships, distributions, and ecological roles. Illustrated keys allow identification of color morphs and social castes.

A landmark publication, Bumble Bees of North America sets the standard for guides and the study of these important insects.

Contents

Introduction 7
Observing Bumble Bees 17
Attracting Bumble Bees 20
Bumble Bee Forage Guide by Ecoregion 22
Maps and Seasonal Activity 29
Bumble Bee Decline and Conservation 31
Threats to Bumble Bees 33
Natural Enemies 35
Mimicry 38
Distinguishing Bumble Bees from Other Insects 42
Bumble Bee Names and Classification 45
How to Use This Book to Identify Bumble Bee Species 48
Species Accounts 51
SQUARE- OR LONG-CHEEKED BEES WITH A ROUNDED ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG
- Bombus vosnesenskii 52
- Bombus caliginosus 54
- Bombus vandykei 57
- Bombus impatiens 59
- Bombus bimaculatus 62
- Bombus perplexus 64
- Bombus vagans 67
- Bombus sandersoni 70
- Bombus jonellus 73
- Bombus frigidus 75
- Bombus mixtus 77
- Bombus ternarius 80
- Bombus huntii 82
- Bombus sylvicola 84
- Bombus melanopygus 87
- Bombus bifarius 90
- Bombus centralis 93
- Bombus flavifrons 95
- Bombus sitkensis 98
- Bombus polaris 100
- Bombus balteatus 103
- Bombus neoboreus 105
- Bombus hyperboreus 108
SHORT-CHEEKED BEES WITH A ROUNDED ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG
- Bombus terricola 111
- Bombus occidentalis 114
- Bombus cryptarum 117
- Bombus franklini 119
- Bombus affinis 121
- Bombus griseocollis 123
- Bombus morrisoni 126
- Bombus fraternus 128
- Bombus crotchii 130
- Bombus rufocinctus 133
MEDIUM- OR LONG-CHEEKED BEES WITH A SHARP ANGLE ON THE MIDLET
- Bombus fervidus 136
- Bombus borealis 139
- Bombus distinguendus 142
- Bombus appositus 144
- Bombus pensylvanicus 147
- Bombus auricomus 150
- Bombus nevadensis 152
HINDLEG (TIBIA) WITH THE OUTER SURFACE UNIFORMLY CONVEX AND DENSELY HAIRY (CUCKOO BUMBLE BEES, NO WORKERS)
- Bombus citrinus 155
- Bombus variabilis 157
- Bombus insularis 159
- Bombus bohemicus 161
- Bombus suckleyi 163
- Bombus flavidus 165
Identification Keys to Female and Male Bumble Bees, with Photos 168
Glossary 199
Additional Resources 203
Acknowledgments 204
Photo Credits 206
Index 207

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Biography

Paul H. Williams is a research entomologist at the Natural History Museum in London. Robbin W. Thorp is professor emeritus of entomology at the University of California, Davis. Leif L. Richardson is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Dartmouth College. Sheila R. Colla is an NSERC postdoctoral fellow and project leader at Wildlife Preservation Canada.