Bug FAQBumblebee-like Digger Bee
Anthophora bomboides · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Bumble-bee-mimic Digger Bee, American Bumble-bee Digger Bee
Anthophora bomboides looks like a bumblebee, copying its colors for protection. It lives alone in nests dug in the ground and is found across North America. Adults are on the wing from August through June.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its coloration mimics that of more dangerous bumblebees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It nests alone in the ground.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from August to June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It uses Batesian mimicry, copying bumblebee colors.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, California, Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Vermont.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are Anthophora bomboides active?
They are on the wing from August through June.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthophora_bomboides
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.