Greenway Quest

1-100: American Bumblebee 

101-200: Brown Belted Bumblebee 

201-300: Two-Spotted Bumblebee 

301-302: The endangered Rusty Patch Bumblebee (only two in the whole bunch!)

• True to its name, if you look closely at the top of its abdomen, you’ll see two distinct patches of yellow hair that often look like a tiny, stylized “W” or two little thumbprints side-by-side.
• These bees are the early birds of the insect world! They are typically the very first bumblebees to emerge in the spring, brave enough to fly in cooler weather to get a head start on gathering nectar from early-blooming trees and flowers. 
• Bombus bimaculatus

• This one is a little tricky! Look very closely at the bee’s abdomen (the rear section). Female workers and males have a distinct, crescent-shaped patch of rusty-red or orange hair right in the middle of their second segment. A great trick to make sure it’s not a common brown-belted bumblebee is to look at the border: the rusty patch on this bee is entirely surrounded by a “sea of yellow” hair, rather than being bordered by black.
• This bee is an absolute VIP of the insect world! In 2017, it became the very first bumblebee species in the United States to be officially listed as federally endangered. Once common across the East Coast and Midwest, they have disappeared from nearly 90% of their historical range. Because they are so rare and legally protected, please do not try to handle or catch them! Instead, if you think you spot one, use your phone to snap a clear photo and report it immediately to Bumble Bee Watch—your snapshot could help scientists track and protect a critical surviving colony!
• Bombus affinis