Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 152.
QUEEN�Length 14.5-19 mm., breadth of abdomen 6-8.5 mm.; black, legs often somewhat reddened, mid and hind spurs and tegulae reddish-piceous; wings very lightly and rather uniformly infuscated, veins brownish to piceous; pubescence copious and rather elongate, largely black on head, but with a dense tuft yellowish hairs on vertex medially and a few pale hairs beneath the more elongate black pubescence around antennae; thorax almost entirely yellow pubescent, but median posterior area of scutum bare and somewhat shining, more or less fringed with obscure black hairs; pubescence of legs largely black, somewhat intermixed with greyish on front femora, pubescence short and largely dark on front tibiae, much more elongate posteriorly and entirely dark on mid tibiae; corbicular fringe on hind legs of elongate black hairs, and hind basitarsi rather densely covered with very minute, yellowish, pruinose hairs that not hide the surface; abdominal terga 1 and 2 yellow pubescent, that on 2 becoming narrowly blackish apically in many specimens, entirely black on 3-6; clypeus smooth and shining, with only a narrow band of close punctures along lateral and upper margins, with only very minute and sparse punctures otherwise; labrum with a very low, basal ridge which is quite broadly interrupted medially, this area concave, with margin somewhat elevated above that on each side, surface smooth and shining on each side, with only a few scattered punctures, the median concave area finely rugose or subpunctate, apical margin fringed with rather short ochraceous hairs; apex of mandible with a pair of rather deep notches toward the upper angle, otherwise broadly rounded, outer face rather smooth, somewhat shining, with exceedingly minute, obscure punctures; malar space smooth and shining, without distinct punctures, its median length slightly greater than basal width of mandible; median area of face very finely and closely punctate, punctures becoming more deep, distinct and rather sparse below ocelli, space between lateral ocelli and eyes shining and impunctate; punctures of vertex minute, close laterally, densely crowded medially; lateral ocelli slightly nearer eyes than to margin of vertex, somewhat more distinct from each other; antennal scape somewhat more than half total length of flagellum, basal segment of flagellum longer than 2 or 3, but somewhat shorter than the two combined; median width of hind basitarsus nearly equal to half the length, apex slightly narrower; tergum 6 rather smooth but dull, punctures exceedingly minute but rather close, with rather copious but short, fine pubescence, narrowly rounded apically.
WORKER�Length 6-15.5 mm., breadth of abdomen 3.5-6.5 mm.; very similar to queen except in size; often with median posterior area of scutum more copiously black pubescent.
MALE�Length 11-13 mm., breadth of abdomen 4.5-5.5 mm.; pubescence long and copious, in large part yellow on head, especially on face below antennae, on vertex medially and cheeks posteriorly, with intermixed, long, black hairs along inner orbits, around and above antennae, behind ocelli, on cheeks above and along posterior orbits; center of scutum somewhat bare, fringed with elongate, black hairs, with a few black hairs intermixed with the yellow toward the lateral margins; thorax otherwise entirely bright yellow pubescent; legs largely yellow pubescent basally, hairs long and quite copious, tibiae with somewhat shorter, black pubescence on outer face, fringed with pale hairs more or less intermixed with black, the mid and hind basitarsi with brownish-ochraceous pubescence beneath, largely bare on exterior surface, fringed with ochraceous hairs; hind tibiae quite slender, outer surface shining but convex, with sparse punctures, fringed with dark hairs anteriorly, and with more elongate, pale hairs, intermixed with dark, posteriorly; abdominal terga 1 and 2 with copious and elongate yellow pubescence, following terga black, but with some intermixed yellowish hairs on the more apical segments, and margins with more or less evident yellowish pubescence; clypeus with fine and close but quite distinct punctures beneath dense pubescence; labrum rather broadly truncate, smooth and shining, with only minute, scattered and rather obscure punctures; mandibles slender, bi-dentate apically, densely covered with ochraceous pubescence on outer face, this forming an elongate, somewhat curled fringe beneath; malar space smooth and shining, with only very vague and obscure punctures, length somewhat greater than basal width of mandible, about one-fourth length of eye; median area of face beneath the dense pubescence very finely and closely punctate, the punctures becoming distinct and quite sparse above toward ocelli, space between ocelli and eyes shining and impunctate, vertex medially with deep and distinct but quite close punctures, becoming somewhat more irregular but still close laterally; lateral ocelli subequally distant from eyes, margin of vertex and each other; basal segment of flagellum very slightly longer than segment 2, and very slightly shorter than segment 3; median width of hind basitarsus slightly less than one-third the length; sterna 7 and 8 and genital armature as in impatiens (fig. 133).
DiSTRIBUTiON�Ontario to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, June to August.
FLOWER RECORDS�Aselepias, Aster, .4 zalea, B etula, Cirsiurn, Eupatorium, Helianthus, Hydrangea, Mains, Pentstemon, Rubus, Solidago, Spirea and Vaccinium. Robertson (1929) records vagans on Actmorn e ris, A gastache, Am phicarpa, Arctium, Asciepias, Aster, Blephilia, Cassia, Cercis, Cirsium, Claytonia, Clematis, Delphinium, Dicentra, Ellisia, Erigenia, Eupatorium, G erani�um, Gera rdia, Helianthus, .flydrophyllum, Hypericurn, Ipomoea, LiaIris, Linaria, Lobelia, Maiva, Mertensia, Mimuins, Monarda, Nepta, Pentstemon. Phlox, Physostegia, Polygonatum, Polyrn onium, Pi�nn ella, Rihes, Scrophularia, Scutellaria, Seym eria, Silphium, Solidago, Stachys, Staphylea, Symphoricarpus, Teueiiurn, Tradescantia, Trifolium, Trios tewm, Verbascum, Verbena, Veronica, Viola and Zizia. Brittain and Newton record vagans on the following: Caragana, Daucus, Narcissus, Phleum, Pinus, Prunus, Pyrus, Salix, Spiraea, Tara.xacvm, Tulipa, and Vaccinium.
Reprinted from: LaBerge, W.E., and Webb, M.C. 1962. The Bumblebees of Nebraska. University of Nebraska College of Agriculture-Agricultural Experiment Station, Research Bulletin No. 205
The range of this eastern species of Bombus barely enters the eastern
part of Nebraska. There it can be locally relatively common. One
record of a queen from Sioux County (no other data available) is probably
in error.
Females: Head hairs chiefly black, vertex with yellow medially and
a few pale hairs near antennal fossae; thorax with sides with hairs
yellow, dorsum entirely yellow or mesoscutum with small posteromedian
patch of black hairs; tergum 1 with pile yellow; tergum 2 with
pile yellow entirely or yellow basally and black apically, often yellow
pile is on brownish side of yellow; terga 3-6 with pile black; leg hairs
black; malar space decidedly longer than broad, facial outline elongate;
ocelli placed on supraorbital line.
Males: Head hairs chiefly yellow, space between apices of compound
eyes and along margins of compound eyes often with black hairs;
thorax with hairs entirely yellow except often mesoscutum with small
posteromedian patch of black hairs; terga 1 and 2 with pile yellow,
occasionally tergum 2 with apical hairs black; terga 3-7 with pile black;
leg hairs black except often trochanters, coxae and lower surfaces of
femora with hairs yellow; tibiae with outer surfaces with few punctures
and hairs; malar space decidedly longer than broad, head elongate;
compound eyes not swollen; ocelli placed on supraorbital line; first
flagellar segment shorter than third, slightly longer than second.
Locality Records. (Fig. 11) CASS: Louisville, South Bend, Weeping
Water. CUMING: West Point. DOUGLAS: Omaha. LANCASTER:
Lincoln. SARPY: Childs Point, Meadow. SAUNDERS: Ashland, Cedar
Bluffs. SIOUX: ?Sioux Co.?
Dates Collected. Queens have been taken in Nebraska from May 17
(South Bend) until July 27 (Omaha), but chiefly in May and June.
Workers have been taken from July 20 (Weeping Water) until September
19 (West Point), but chiefly in August. Males have been taken
from July 22 (Omaha) until September 19 (West Point), but chiefly in
August and September.
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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 Status: Common Select food plant genera: Penstemon, Asclepias, Aster,
Cirsium, Eupatorium, Spirea Tongue Length: Medium Distribution: Eastern Washington east to New England
primarily in states bordering Canada Can be confused with B. flavifrons or B. rufocinctus Females (queens and workers, colors refer to �hair�) Thorax and T1 predominately yellow, sometimes with a
black spot between the wing bases, T2 predominately
yellow at least anteriorly, T3-6 black, face long. Mid leg basitarsus with the distal posterior corner
rounded. Cheek length slightly longer than broad,
clypeus strongly swollen in the dorsal half, hind
basitarsus with the posterior margin strongly and
evenly arched. Hair of the head black or with a
minority of short pale hairs intermixed. Hair length
short and even.
Extracted from Wallace E. LaBerge and Morgan C. Webb. (1962). The Bumblebees of Nebraska (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae). University of Nebraska College of Agriculture. The range of this eastern species of Bombus barely enters the eastern part of Nebraska. There it can be locally relatively common. One record of a queen from Sioux County (no other data available) is probably in error. Females: Head hairs chiefly black, vertex with yellow medially and a few pale hairs near antennal fossae; thorax with sides with hairs yellow, dorsum entirely yellow or mesoscutum with small posteromedian patch of black hairs; tergum 1 with pile yellow; tergum 2 with pile yellow entirely or yellow basally and black apically, often yellow pile is on brownish side of yellow; terga 3-6 with pile black; leg hairs black; malar space decidedly longer than broad, facial outline elongate; ocelli placed on supraorbital line. Males: Head hairs chiefly yellow, space between apices of compound eyes and along margins of compound eyes often with black hairs; thorax with hairs entirely yellow except often mesoscutum with small posteromedian patch of black hairs; terga 1 and 2 with pile yellow, occasionally tergum 2 with api~al hairs black; terga 3-7 with pile black; leg hairs black except often trochanters, coxae and lower surfaces of femora with hairs yellow; tibiae with outer surfaces with few punctures and hairs; malar space decidedly longer than broad, head elongate; compound eyes not swollen; ocelli placed on supraorbital line; first flagellar segment shorter than third, slightly longer than second.
Extracted from: Laverty T.M., & Harder L.D., (1988). The Bumble Bees of Eastern Canada. Can. Ent. 120: 965-987.
Bombus vagans vagans Smith, 1854
Description. All castes small to medium. Head elongate; malar space longer than broad. Tongue length medium. Colour as in Figure 16a and b. Interalar area with or without a small central spot of black pile. Tergum 5 and T6 in some males with lateral yellow fringes.
Bombus vagans bolsteri Franklin, 1913
Description. All castes small to medium. Head elongate; malar space longer than wide.
Tongue length medium. Colour as in Figure 16c and d. Pile on pronotum may be black, yellow, or with yellow and black hairs intermixed. This subspecies is endemic to Newfoundland.
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