Bumblebees Missouri Department of Conservation

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Description

Bumblebees are large, fuzzy or hairy bees with a black and yellow (sometimes orange), usually banded, coloration. Bumblebees (genus Bombus) always have some fuzz on the abdomen. Females have pollen baskets on the last pair of legs. At least six species of bumblebees occur in Missouri. Entomologists and dedicated amateurs use details of wing venation and other structural fine points to identify the different species in this genus. Similar species: Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.), which carve nest holes in dead wood, are similar in size, shape, and color, but they have shiny, hairless black abdomens, while bumblebees have fuzz on their yellow-and-black-banded abdomens. There are many species of bees that you have probably never heard of. Also, there are many flies and beetles that have yellow-and-black patterns that mimic the warning colors of bees and wasps. Hummingbird moths and other sphinx moths also mimic bumblebees. Learn more about bumblebees and other apid bees (family Apidae) on their family page.