Boreal Bumblebee vs Southeastern Blueberry Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Boreal Bumblebee Southeastern Blueberry Bee
Scientific Name Bombus borealis Habropoda laboriosa
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Apidae
Size 12-17 mm 12-15 mm
Habitat Heathland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Northern Canada, Alaska, boreal regions of the northern United States Southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida and west to Mississippi
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Boreal Bumblebee

A medium-sized bumblebee with yellow bands on the thorax and a white-tipped abdomen. It nests underground in abandoned rodent burrows. Workers are efficient foragers in the cool northern climate.

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Did You Know?

This bumblebee has an unusually long tongue for its body size, allowing it to access nectar from deep tubular flowers that other bees cannot reach.

Southeastern Blueberry Bee

A fuzzy native bee that is the most efficient pollinator of blueberry flowers in North America. It uses buzz pollination to shake pollen loose from blueberry blossoms.

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Did You Know?

A single female can pollinate enough blueberry flowers to produce over a gallon of blueberries in her lifetime.