Bug FAQPerplexing Bumble Bee
Bombus perplexus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Confusing Bumble Bee, Confusing Bumblebee
The queen measures about 1.7 to 2.1 cm long and just under 1 cm wide, while workers are 1.2 to 1.4 cm long and about 0.5 cm wide. It is mostly black with pale hairs and a black-and-yellow abdomen. It lives in northern North America, especially Canada and the eastern United States, in wetlands, woods, and gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Mostly black with pale hairs and a black-and-yellow abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Queens are 1.7 to 2.1 cm long and just under 1 cm wide at the abdomen. Worker females are 1.2 to 1.4 cm long and about 0.5 cm wide.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Also occurs in wetlands, wooded areas, and urban gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Alaska, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota, Massachusetts.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where might I see this bumble bee?
They are common in northern North America, especially in wetlands, forests, and gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_perplexus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.