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Bombus bifarius Cresson, 1878
Bombus andamanus Gribodo, 1882, identity uncertain; Bombus edwardsii var kenoyeri Cockerell, 1915; Bombus edwardsii var fuscifrons Swenk, 1938

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Apidae   Bombus
Subgenus: Pyrobombus

Bombus bifarius, -side 2012-07-09-17.43.31
© Copyright source/photographer · 9
Bombus bifarius, -side 2012-07-09-17.43.31

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Bombus bifarius, female, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Bombus bifarius, female, face
Bombus bifarius, female, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Bombus bifarius, female, side

Bombus bifarius, female, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Bombus bifarius, female, top
Bombus bifarius, female, wing
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Bombus bifarius, female, wing

Bombus bifarius MALE
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Bombus bifarius MALE
Bombus bifarius
© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2014 · 7
Bombus bifarius

Bombus bifarius
© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2014 · 6
Bombus bifarius
Bombus bifarius, F, Face, MT, Flathead Co
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, F, Face, MT, Flathead Co

Bombus bifarius, back
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, back
Bombus bifarius, back
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, back

Bombus bifarius, back, f, Mariposa CA
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, back, f, Mariposa CA
Bombus bifarius, face, f, Mariposa CA
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, face, f, Mariposa CA

Bombus bifarius, right, f, Mariposa CA
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, right, f, Mariposa CA
Bombus bifarius, back, f, Mariposa CA
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Bombus bifarius, back, f, Mariposa CA
Overview
Extracted from Jonathan Koch, James Strange,Paul Williams.2012. Bumble Bees of the Western United States. A product of the U.S. Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Two form bumble bee

Status: Very common

Select food plant genera: Melilotus, Lupinus, Aster, Senecio, Chrysothamnus, Cirsium

Tongue Length: Medium

Distribution: From the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains; from Arizona to Alaska; a dark form (B. bifarius nearcticus) in the north and west; a red form (B. bifarius bifarius) found in the south and east of the range

Can be confused with B. huntii, B. melanopygus, B. mixtus, B. rufocinctus, and B. sylvicola

Thorax anterior to black band between wing bases yellow or white and sometimes cloudy in appearance, scutellum with pale or yellow patches entirely divided by a black posteriorly directed triangle, T1 yellow or pale white, T2 and T3 completely black or red, or black and red admixture, T4 yellow, T5 and T6 black. Face square.

Mid leg basitarsus with the distal posterior corner rounded. Cheek length as long as broad. Hair of the face and top of head predominately yellow or pale sometimes with black admixture. On the side of the thorax, the lower anterior surface with long, predominantly yellow, or pale yellow hair, corbicular fringes red. Hair length medium


Kinds
Extracted from Wallace E. LaBerge and Morgan C. Webb. (1962). The Bumblebees of Nebraska (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae). University of Nebraska College of Agricullutre.

T his is a coml11on western species o[ bumblebee which entcrs i'\ebraska only in the westernmost counties.

Females: Head Wilh hairs white to pale yellow with abundanl black in ocellar areas betwecn apices of compound cyes; thorax with sides with hairs largcly cinereolls to yellow, oftcn black pon eriorly and on lower pans, dorsum cinel'eous to ycllow ~rales: H ead hairs ycllo\\' with band or black bctwccn apices of compound eycs; thorax \\'ith yellow pile except broad intera!ar banel of black and mediobasal lriLocality Reconls: Since this bee has been collectcd in Nt:braska unly twicc. lhe dill;1 arc givcn in full. SCOTTS BLUFF CO NT Y: I queen [rom Mitchell, collecled b), L. M. Cales . . Iullc 20, 1913. SIOUX CO UNTY: I worker from \Var .Ron net Canyon, collected on Verbena sp. by i\1. A. Carrikcr, .July 23, 190 1. T he Sioux County record was repon ed by 'wenk (190i) as a specimen oC U. edwardsii, but it is no longer in Lhe collection of the Uni versity of l\'ebraska and has not becn verified by the authors.


Identification
Extracted from Bumble Bees and Cuckoo Bumble Bees of California by Thorp, R. (1983).


Discussion. B. bifarius belongs to the species group which includes B. huntii and vosnesenskli, and is most closely related to B. huntii. The CaliŽfornia color form ("nearcticus" populations) differs from B. huntii in having the yellow hair of the scu-tellum divided into the lateral patches by a central V-shaped notch, and the usual absence of red hair on metasomal tergites 2 and 3. . This widespread western montane bumble bee has two extreme color forms. The nominate form occurs in the Rocky Mountain regions and has conŽsiderable red hair on tergites 2 and 3. The most common form ("nearcticus" populations) occurs throughout the range of the species and is the dominant form in the Cascade-Sierran ranges. It lacks red hair on tergites 2 and 3. These color extremes intergrade over a wide range, and occasional red males are found in California. Thus subspectfic status is unwarranted. The nest biology of this species is discussed by Hobbs (1967b). We found one nest in the Sierra Nevada (El Dorado Co., 2490 m) in an old rodent burrow beneath a pile of rocks.

Names
Scientific source:

Supported by

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Apiaceae  Sphenosciadium capitellatum @ BBSL__JPS (1)
Asteraceae  Artemisia bolanderi @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Aster sp @ BBSL__JPS (38); BBSL (5)

Aster @ AMNH_BEE (2)

Bellis sp @ BBSL__JPS (7)

Chrysothamnus greenei @ BBSL__JPS (2); EMEC_JPS__JPS (2)

Chrysothamnus nauseosus @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Chrysothamnus parryi @ DART_ENT (1)

Chrysothamnus sp @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Cirsium lanceolatum @ BBSL__JPS (9)

Cirsium sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Ericameria parryi @ RMBL_ENT (2)

Ericameria sp @ BBSL__JPS (16)

Grindelia sp @ BBSL__JPS (1); BBSL (1)

Grindelia squarrosa @ UCRC_ENT (2)

Haplopappus bloomeri @ BBSL__JPS (9)

Helenium sp @ BBSL__JPS (4)

Helianthella quinquenervis @ RMBL_ENT (13)

Heliomeris multiflora @ RMBL_ENT (75)

Heterotheca villosa @ RMBL_ENT (11)

Hymenoxys hoopesii @ RMBL_ENT (2)

Machaeranthera sp @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Ratibida sp @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Rudbeckia sp @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Rudbeckia @ AMNH_BEE (4)

Senecio bigelovii @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Senecio sp @ BBSL__JPS (7)

Senecio @ AMNH_BEE (1); RMBL_ENT (6)

Solidago sp @ BBSL__JPS (10)

Solidago @ UCRC_ENT (3); EMEC_JPS__JPS (1)

Taraxacum campylodes @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Taraxacum officinale @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Taraxacum vulgare @ UCRC_ENT (1)

Wyethia amplexicaulis @ RMBL_ENT (3)
Berberidaceae  Berberis sp @ BBSL__OS (1)
Boraginaceae  Mertensia lanceolata @ UCRC_ENT (1)

Phacelia @ EMEC_JPS__JPS (3)
Capparaceae  Cleome sp @ BBSL (1)
Caprifoliaceae  Symphoricarpos racemosus @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Symphoricarpos sp @ BBSL__JPS (7)
Crassulaceae  Sedum stenopetalum @ UCRC_ENT (1)
Fabaceae  Lupinus albus @ RMBL_ENT (2)

Lupinus argenteus @ BBSL (1)

Lupinus latifolius @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Lupinus sp @ BBSL__JPS (2); BBSL (2)

Lupinus @ LACM_ENTB (4); RMBL_ENT (2)

Melilotus officinalis @ BBSL__JPS (75)

Melilotus sp @ BBSL__JPS (12)

Trifolium dasyphyllum @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Trifolium sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Trifolium @ AMNH_BEE (1)
Freilich, j.  1630 @ JRYA__OLYM (1)
Gentianaceae  Frasera speciosa @ BBSL__JPS (15); UCRC_ENT (1); RMBL_ENT (1)

Gentiana parryi @ RMBL_ENT (3)
Geraniaceae  Geranium richardsonii @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Geranium sp @ BBSL (1)
Grossulariaceae  Ribes @ AMNH_BEE (4)
Herndon, j.d.  1799 @ JRYA__OLYM (9)
Hydrophyllaceae  Phacelia linearis @ BBSL (1)
Lamiaceae  Agastache urticifolia @ I_JSA (2)

Monarda sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Monardella sp @ BBSL__JPS (4)

Monardella @ AMNH_BEE (4)
Larson, l.  1731 @ JRYA__NOCA (2)

2023 @ JRYA__NOCA (5)
Loasaceae  Mentzelia @ EMEC_JPS__JPS (1)
Malvaceae  Sidalcea oregana @ BBSL (2); EMEC_JPS__JPS (1)
Onagraceae  Chamerion angustifolium @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Clarkia amoena @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Epilobium angustifolium @ BBSL__JPS (5); AMNH_BEE (1)
Paeoniaceae  Paeonia brownii @ AMNH_BEE (1)
Plantaginaceae  Linaria vulgaris @ UCRC_ENT (1); RMBL_ENT (1)

Penstemon alpinus @ UCRC_ENT (1)

Penstemon glaber @ AMNH_BEE (1)

Penstemon @ UCRC_ENT (1)
Polycitoridae  Salix sp @ BBSL__JPS (13)
Polygonaceae  Eriogonum latifolium @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Eriogonum sp @ BBSL__JPS (3)
Primulaceae  Dodecatheon jeffreyi @ BBSL__JPS (2)
Ranunculaceae  Clematis sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Delphinium barbeyi @ RMBL_ENT (2)
Rosaceae  Potentilla glandulosa @ BBSL__JPS (3); UCRC_ENT (1)

Potentilla gracilis @ RMBL_ENT (1)

Potentilla sp @ BBSL__JPS (3)

Potentilla @ RMBL_ENT (5)

Prunus sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Prunus virginiana @ BBSL__JPS (2)
Rykken, j.  1281 @ JRYA__NOCA (1)

1322 @ JRYA__NOCA (1)

1361 @ JRYA__OLYM (1)

145 @ JRYA__NOCA (3)

1535 @ JRYA__OLYM (1)

1745 @ JRYA__NOCA (4)

1793 @ JRYA__NOCA (4)

1821 @ JRYA__NOCA (10)

1857 @ JRYA__NOCA (2)

1871 @ JRYA__NOCA (3)

1927 @ JRYA__NOCA (1)

1934 @ JRYA__OLYM (1)

476 @ JRYA__NOCA (2)

505 @ JRYA__NOCA (1)

725 @ JRYA__NOCA (1)
Salicaceae  Salix @ AMNH_BEE (4)
Scrophulariaceae  Penstemon attenuatus @ BBSL (2)

Penstemon heterodoxus @ BBSL__JPS (5)

Penstemon newberryi @ BBSL__JPS (3)

Penstemon procerus @ BBSL__JPS (2)

Penstemon rydbergii @ BBSL__JPS (1)

Penstemon sp @ BBSL__JPS (1)
_  Withheld @ BBSL (5)

Associates · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Brassicaceae  Erysimum menziesii @ I_GBP (1)

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Updated: 2024-03-19 07:11:05 gmt
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