Margined Colletes vs Crotch's Bumblebee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Margined Colletes Crotch's Bumblebee
Scientific Name Colletes marginatus Bombus crotchii
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Colletidae Apidae
Size 8-10 mm 10-16 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe California, western USA
Conservation Near Threatened Endangered

Margined Colletes

A small, pale plasterer bee found in sandy coastal habitats across Europe. It nests in loose sand and forages on wild mignonette and sea holly.

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Did You Know?

Its dependence on both sandy nesting substrate and specialized coastal food plants makes it doubly vulnerable to habitat loss.

Crotch's Bumblebee

A western North American bumblebee that has declined by over 90% from its historical range. Once common in California's Central Valley. Threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.

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Did You Know?

Has vanished from most of California's agricultural Central Valley where it was once the dominant bumblebee.