Types of Bumble Bees in the Eastern United States

American bumble bee
American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

 

Bumble bees don’t make honey but they are vitally important pollinators of wild and managed plants, like tomato plants raised in greenhouses. There are are 47 bumble bees in the United States and 21 species of bumble bees in the Eastern United States that vary in their color patterns but can be difficult to distinguish from one another.

Images via the United States Department of Agriculture