Bug FAQGolden-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus balteatus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: High Country Bumble Bee
Bombus balteatus workers have a distinctive black pattern on a robust abdomen and a long tongue for probing deep flowers. They live in high-altitude boreal areas across northern Europe and North America, especially where plants like Castilleja, Chrysothammnus and Mertensia grow. Although specialized for long-corolla flowers, they are now foraging on a wider range of plants as long-tubed resources decline.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Workers can be recognized by a black abdomen pattern and a sturdy body.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Prefers high-altitude and boreal habitats, often above the tree line. Most common where Castilleja, Chrysothammnus and Mertensia species are abundant.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its long tongue lets it specialize on flowers with deep corollas. As long-tubed floral resources decline at high elevations, it has shifted toward shorter-tongued foraging and a broader plant range.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Bombus balteatus is a long-tongued bumblebee. Although once highly specialized, it is expanding its niche to include more diverse flowering plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Alaska, Wyoming, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
How can I identify Bombus balteatus?
Look for a robust bumblebee with a distinctive black pattern on its abdomen and a long tongue for deep flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Bombus balteatus found?
It lives in high-altitude boreal regions of northern Europe and North America, especially where Castilleja, Chrysothammnus and Mertensia grow.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants does it feed on?
It prefers flowers with long corollas but is now foraging on a wider variety of plants as deep-tubed flowers become scarce.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_balteatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.