Canada and the northern and eastern United States.
Fine-art photographic collection
Bombus perplexus
A woodland bumblebee whose colour changes so much between castes that one colony can look like several species.
About this species
Confusing Bumble Bee
Bombus perplexusCresson, 1863
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Bombus perplexus is a North American forest bumblebee that often nests in cavities and readily occupies artificial domiciles. Queens, workers and males can differ markedly in their pale and dark hair patterns.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Apidae · Bombus
Accepted species; English common name follows the GBIF/Catalogue of Life record. · checked 2026-07-15
Northern North AmericaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Woodland, wetlands, gardens and other flower-rich habitats in northern North America.
Colonies are active during the warmer months.
Adults feed on nectar and collect pollen from a broad range of flowers.
Eusocial annual colonies.
What makes this species remarkable?
Individuals from the same species can range from largely pale to extensively black, making queens, workers and males surprisingly difficult to recognise as nest-mates.
Queens readily use artificial nest boxes, allowing researchers to watch the hidden transition from a lone foundress to a functioning worker colony.
Its colonies can be infiltrated by the workerless cuckoo bumblebee Bombus fernaldae, whose female takes over reproduction and uses the host workforce.