Sanderson's Bumble bee

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Sanderson's bumble bee

Scientific Name

(Bombus sandersoni)

Although the Sanderson's bumble bee is deprioritized in terms of conservation, bumble bees that were once common, such as B. affinis, can rapidly decline. One of the main reasons B. sandersoni is under-reported in its range is due to the difficulty in telling it apart from other bumble bee species (1). It is also at higher risk as it has a low tolerance for changes in climate. The species ranges from Maine to Tennessee and west towards Minnesota extending into Canada (2). In Maryland, it is rare in the western panhandle and Frederick County (3, 4).

Photo by Quinten Wiegersma.Under the license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.

Identification

The species can be difficult to identify as it is similar to other bumble bees, most notably the half-black bumble bee (Bombus vagans) and confusing bumble bee (Bombus perplexus). The Sanderson's bumble bee has a primarily yellow thorax, the sides colored yellow while the backside between the wings has a black patch. The first two abdominal segments are yellow, with the second one having a few scattered black hairs while the rest of the abdomen is primarily black. The species is smaller in body size when compared with B. vagans (5, 6). Click here for further identification tools (see pages 31–33).

Female. Photo by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, MD, USA. Public Domain.

Female. Photo by Margarita Miklasevskaja from Bees of Canada.Image courtesy of Mikalsevskaja at PCYU with funding from NSERC-CANPOLIN.

Male. Photo by Margarita Miklasevskaja from Bees of Canada.Image courtesy of Mikalsevskaja at PCYU with funding from NSERC-CANPOLIN.

Life cycle

After hibernating, queen bees emerge in May and search for food and a place to begin their colonies. They initially give birth to worker bees who help feed the young. Into the summer, once the colony has enough workers, males and potential new queens are also born, who leave the nest and mate. The new queens then prepare for hibernation as the rest of the colony succumbs to the winter (2, 6).

Bumble bees are generalists and have a long activity period. The B. sandersoni queens are active from May to July, while workers and males start and end one month later (6). Examples of plants this species pollinate include those of the Epilobium, Monarda, and Rubus genera (2, 5, 6).

Habitat

The species is found in or near wooded areas such as the temperate and boreal forests of its range, as well as the Great Plains and tundra (2, 3, 5). It can be found at higher elevations such as along the Appalachian Mountains (2, 4). It usually nests underground in abandoned rodent burrows, but can also nest above ground in grass, abandoned bird nests, rocks, or dead trees (2).

Distribution in Maryland

Data from Maryland Biodiversity Project.

Distribution in US

Data from NatureServe Explorer.

How can you help?

In general, bumble bees are vulnerable due to manmade causes. Preserving habitats for nesting and foraging as well as reducing the use of pesticides are key to helping them (2).

Examples of Plants

Spotted beebalm

(Monarda punctata)

Photo by Kerry Wixted.Under the license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.

Purpleleaf willowherb

(Epilobium coloratum)

Photo by Frank Mayfield.Under the license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.

References

Milam, J., D. E. Johnson, J. C. Andersen, A. B. Fassler, D. L Narango, and J. S. Elkinton. 2020. Validating morphometrics with DNA barcoding to reliably separate three cryptic species of Bombus Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Insects, 11(10), 669.
Hatfield, R., S. Jepsen, R. W. Thorp, L. L. Richardson, and S. R. Colla. 2015. Bombus sandersoni, Sanderson Bumble Bee. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Fiscus, D. and S. Moessinger. 2012. Insect Pollinators of Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) in the Western Maryland Region. Society for Economic Botany, 53: 50. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/20891463/ethnobotany-of-mountain-cultures-frostburg-state-university. Last accessed 20 April 2022.
Orr, R. 2014. Baseline Survey of the Native and Non-native Bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) of Catoctin Mountain Park (Frederick County, Maryland). Mid-Atlantic Invertebrate Field Studies. http://www.marylandinsects.com/ReportBeesCatoctinMountainPark.pdf. Last accessed 20 April 2022.
Williams, P. H., R. W. Thorp, L. L. Richardson, S. R. Colla. 2014. Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide. Princeton University, 70-72.
Colla, S. R., L. L. Richardson, and P. H. Williams. 2011. Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pollinator Partnership. https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/12-052_01_Eastern_Bumble_Bee.pdf. Last accessed 20 April 2022.

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