BRITISH COLUMBIA
Family Apidae: Subfamily Apinae: Tribe Bombini, Genus Bombus
Bumble bees are large or medium sized bees conspicuously marked with yellow and black hairs, sometimes with additional red or white hairs. Most of the species collect pollen but those in the subgenus Psithyrus live as social parasites in the nests of other Bombus species. The genus is distributed in North and South America, in Eurasia and from the Philippines to western Indonesia. Some species have been introduced to other places, such as New Zealand and Australia. The following list of 32 known British Columbia species is assembled from various publications and museum collections. The list will probably be changed as more specimens are examined and should be considered preliminary. The taxonomy used is that of Natural History Museum, a fine, up-to-date systematic summary of the bumblebees of the world, although I have maintained B. occidentalis separate from B. terricola. Psithyrus has long been considered a genus separate from Bombus but most authorities now place it as a subgenus in Bombus; the four species in BC are listed separately for convenience. Except for Psithyrus, none of the subgenera often used in Bombus classification are included in this list. A few synonyms are listed (indents) to indicate the fate of some familiar names. Bombus impatiens, a common species from eastern North America, as of 2011 is an established alien species in the Lower Mainland. It has been imported into BC as a pollinator since 1999 and has escaped from greenhouses.
Bombus appositus
Bombus auricomus
Bombus balteatus
B. kirbyellus
Bombus bifarius
Bombus centralis
Bombus fervidus
B. californicus
Bombus flavifrons
B. pleuralis
Bombus frigidus
Bombus griseocollis
Bombus huntii
Bombus hyperboreus
Bombus impatiens (introduced)
Bombus lapponicus
B. sylvicola
Bombus lucorum
Bombus melanopygus
B. edwardsii
Bombus mixtus
Bombus morrisoni
Bombus neoboreus
B. strenuus
Bombus nevadensis
Bombus occidentalis
Bombus perplexus
Bombus polaris
Bombus rufocinctus
Bombus sitkensis
Bombus ternarius
Bombus terricola
Bombus vagans
Bombus vosnesenskii
Bombus (Psithyrus) ashtoni
Bombus (Psithyrus) fernaldae
Bombus (Psithyrus) insularis
Bombus (Psithyrus) suckleyi
Family Apidae: Subfamily Apinae: Tribe Bombini, Genus Bombus
Bumble bees are large or medium sized bees conspicuously marked with yellow and black hairs, sometimes with additional red or white hairs. Most of the species collect pollen but those in the subgenus Psithyrus live as social parasites in the nests of other Bombus species. The genus is distributed in North and South America, in Eurasia and from the Philippines to western Indonesia. Some species have been introduced to other places, such as New Zealand and Australia. The following list of 32 known British Columbia species is assembled from various publications and museum collections. The list will probably be changed as more specimens are examined and should be considered preliminary. The taxonomy used is that of Natural History Museum, a fine, up-to-date systematic summary of the bumblebees of the world, although I have maintained B. occidentalis separate from B. terricola. Psithyrus has long been considered a genus separate from Bombus but most authorities now place it as a subgenus in Bombus; the four species in BC are listed separately for convenience. Except for Psithyrus, none of the subgenera often used in Bombus classification are included in this list. A few synonyms are listed (indents) to indicate the fate of some familiar names. Bombus impatiens, a common species from eastern North America, as of 2011 is an established alien species in the Lower Mainland. It has been imported into BC as a pollinator since 1999 and has escaped from greenhouses.
Bombus appositus
Bombus auricomus
Bombus balteatus
B. kirbyellus
Bombus bifarius
Bombus centralis
Bombus fervidus
B. californicus
Bombus flavifrons
B. pleuralis
Bombus frigidus
Bombus griseocollis
Bombus huntii
Bombus hyperboreus
Bombus impatiens (introduced)
Bombus lapponicus
B. sylvicola
Bombus lucorum
Bombus melanopygus
B. edwardsii
Bombus mixtus
Bombus morrisoni
Bombus neoboreus
B. strenuus
Bombus nevadensis
Bombus occidentalis
Bombus perplexus
Bombus polaris
Bombus rufocinctus
Bombus sitkensis
Bombus ternarius
Bombus terricola
Bombus vagans
Bombus vosnesenskii
Bombus (Psithyrus) ashtoni
Bombus (Psithyrus) fernaldae
Bombus (Psithyrus) insularis
Bombus (Psithyrus) suckleyi
REST OF THE WORLD
Types of Bees
There are around 25,000 known species of bee worldwide (about 4000 species in the US, and over 250 species in Britain)....and there are probably more to be discovered!
These 25,000 species can be divided into over 4000 genera (types of bees) belonging within 9 groups or 'families', all under the banner - or 'Super-family' - 'Apoidea'.
Apoidea also includes 'sphecoid wasps', from which bees are believed to be descended.
Types of Bees
There are around 25,000 known species of bee worldwide (about 4000 species in the US, and over 250 species in Britain)....and there are probably more to be discovered!
These 25,000 species can be divided into over 4000 genera (types of bees) belonging within 9 groups or 'families', all under the banner - or 'Super-family' - 'Apoidea'.
Apoidea also includes 'sphecoid wasps', from which bees are believed to be descended.