Back to Bumblebees

Fuzzy-horned bumble bee

Bombus mixtus

Fuzzy-horned bumble bee

Nesting Preference

Uses sheltered sites below ground, on the ground surface, and above ground. Studies have documented many surface and above-ground nests.

Active Time of Year

An early-emerging species, active through spring and summer. Queens have been recorded in late winter in Washington; weather and elevation affect when local bees appear.

Identifying Characteristics

A relatively small bumblebee with long, uneven hair. Queens and workers often have a cloudy mix of yellow and black on the thorax, yellow near the front of the abdomen, and pale orange toward the tail. Color varies, and similar species require careful comparison. Hairy antennae alone are not a reliable identification shortcut.

Fun Fact

Fuzzy-horned bumblebees have been recorded visiting both commercial blueberry and cranberry crops in British Columbia.

Fuzzy-horned bumblebees occur in grassy openings, wooded landscapes, and mountain meadows. They also occur in the Willamette Valley, where OSU researchers recorded them in agricultural fields. Their varied nesting sites are a reminder that bumblebee habitat includes more than underground burrows.

Sources and Further Reading

Read more on Wikipedia

Solitary wasp

A solitary wasp has no colony of workers helping raise her young. A female may stock her own nest cells with food, or find a host for her developing offspring. Solitary describes social life; parasitoid describes a feeding strategy. A wasp can be both.

Social wasp

Social wasps share a nest and cooperate in raising young. In yellowjacket and paper wasp colonies, reproductive females lay eggs and workers help feed the brood and maintain the nest. They can defend that nest, so observing a forager is different from approaching a colony.

Non-native Social wasp

This is a social wasp introduced beyond its natural range. In this case the European paper wasp was introduced to North America from Europe, probably hidden in shipping materials. Non-native describes its origin, while social describes colony life.