Bug FAQTwo-spotted Bumble Bee
Bombus bimaculatus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Two-spotted Bumblebee
Source: Wikipedia
The two-spotted bumble bee is a social bee found in the eastern US and southeastern Canada, nesting underground or in cavities such as old rodent burrows, hollow logs, or garden structures. Queens appear as early as February, workers and males emerge later, and the colony lives only one season before the queen hibernates again.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Only females have a sting, and they usually sting only when defending the nest or if they are captured.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They nest underground near wood or gardens, but can also use above-ground sites like abandoned rodent dens, hollow logs, or man-made cavities.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A new colony starts each spring when a mated queen emerges from hibernation; eggs hatch in about four days, larvae feed for two weeks, then pupate for another two weeks before becoming adults.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Queens can be seen as early as February, making this one of the earliest-emerging bumble bee species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range covers the eastern United States and adjacent southeastern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Large workers may be confused with small queens, especially late in the season when workers have grown larger.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 44 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, Wisconsin, Missouri, Virginia.
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
When can I expect to see these bees?
Queens may appear as early as February, with workers and males showing up later in the spring and summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where do they build their nests?
They usually nest underground near wood or gardens, but will also use abandoned rodent burrows, hollow logs, or other cavities.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-spotted_bumble_bee
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.