Hunt's Bumble Bee vs Blunthorn Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hunt's Bumble Bee Blunthorn Bee
Scientific Name Bombus huntii Melitta haemorrhoidalis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Melittidae
Size 12-18 mm 10-13 mm
Habitat Meadows Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Western North America from British Columbia to Mexico Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hunt's Bumble Bee

A medium-sized bumble bee with orange, black, and yellow banding commonly found in the western United States. It is an important pollinator of both wildflowers and crops.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few bumble bee species that has maintained stable populations while many others have declined.

Blunthorn Bee

A late-summer specialist bee that collects pollen almost exclusively from bellflowers. It has a distinctively short tongue for a melittid bee.

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Did You Know?

Females often become completely dusted in blue bellflower pollen, giving them a striking violet-tinged appearance.