BOMBUS SIGHTING!

[Sean Kelly]

Stopped by the gas station on the way to work yesterday evening and while pumping gas, in the flower pot next to me, there was a big ole bumble going to town on a flower!  First one I've seen this year!  Totally exciting, wish I had a camera with me.  She was huge, bright yellow with a little outline of black on the edges.  Not like the usual bombus we have around the property which are smaller, mostly black, with a dab of yellow or orange on their abdomen.  This queen was freakin MASSIVE!  (I assumed she was a queen since it's so early and only the queens overwinter).  I'm hoping this is a good sign for the season to come!!!

Sean Kelly

[Jerrymac]

With gas prices the way they are I figure you would want to put the gas in your car. Not in the flower pot. :-D

[Cindi]

Sean, what a beautiful sight.  Yes, she be the queen for sure.  She is busy gathering food for her little honey pot that she will groom to make to feed the larvae that will soon be growing like wildfire.  The first sure-fired scene of spring, yeah!!!!  I am keeping my eye for that big ol' queen, but haven't caught sight of one yet, the robins are here, but not yet the bombus queen.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day, love this life we're livin'.  Cindi

[JP]

May have been a large princess.


....JP

[Bennettoid]

Before Bees, winter was long and dreary. February was the worst month of all.

But Now, with Bees?


Its interminable, horrible torture.

[Scadsobees]

I'm sure that if I were to see a bumblebee right now, she would have to spend some time de-icing her wings between flights.  :roll:

9 days to go till march....

[MrILoveTheAnts]

She was huge, bright yellow with a little outline of black on the edges. 

From that description and your location I would guess she Bombus morrisoni.
There's a real lack of pictures of these on the internet but this man's photo looks like the one in the book I'm using. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashrunner/298665687/

B. buntii and B. fervidus (fervidus) also look similar and are in the aria, though they have a much wider distribution. B. buntii has no photos that I could find but looks similar to B. fervidus but more orange. B. fervidus pictures I was able to find.
http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Insecta/Hymenoptera/Apoidea/Apidae/Bombus/fervidus/
The extra fervidus in the name is to distinguish them from B. fervidus (californicus) which is mostly black.

B. balteatus also looks about right but they're not as bright a yellow and shaggy.
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Bombus+balteatus

I should note that the book I'm using does not take size into account or caste. Most Bombus queens and workers are identical and only differ in size I think.

[BEH]

Bumbles always make me smile  :)   Saw one this morning myself, she was about 1 1/2" or so.

Oops!  Guess I should have posted my bumble bee question here instead of starting a different thread.

Barbra