Bumble Bee Identification

When I was in Montana I saw a bumble bee that had a few orange stripes on its torso. I'd never seen that before. After the amazing native bee talk I attended last year I have been very interested in all the native bees in our area. Supposedly over 87 separate species have been identified in the east Bay. I've spotted a few bright green ones in the community garden where Tree has his Free Farm Stand. This winter I have been burning old wood from an enormous fallen oak tree in one of my gardens. The wood has been cut to size, but has been sitting outside for several years before I decided to take it home and burn it in my fireplace. I have notice holes drilled in some of the logs and worried about what creatures might have made a home in there. They are also covered in shelf fungus. Is that dangerous to inhale smoke of fungus? We'll see. The little holes are not plugged, so I have hoped there are no native bees nesting in there over the winter. I cringe each time I throw a log on the fire.

Someone from the SF Bee Club posted this link from the USDA Agricultural Research Service on our bee list for a wallet ID card for the native bees in Utah. I LOVE it that there are people out there that care enough to make a wallet ID card...and who believe enough that there are others who care that might want this thing in their wallet. I know I do!

How To: Identification Bumble Bees of Northern Utah
written by Jim Cane with help from Matt Shepherd
illustrations by Linda Kervin

The Cache Valley and its neighboring mountains are home to 11 species of native bumble bees. Among them are the region’s largest bees, particularly the robust queens seen flying and foraging in the spring when they are establishing and provisioning a nest. Bumble bees are important pollinators of our native flora, especially in the mountains, as well as some of our garden plants.

Bumble bees possess three attributes that will help you to distinguish them from all other bees in the region: they are big, they are more furry than most other bees, and females transport pollen as a wet mass held in a “pollen basket” on the hind leg. The pollen basket of the hind pair of legs is broadened and concave like a shallow, elongate spoon. If empty, its polished surface can be seen reflecting light. Only the honey bee in our fauna has a similar pollen basket; all other bees here that collect pollen carry it in a dense brush of hairs either on the hind leg or under the abdomen. Bumble bees are much more furry than the honey bee, the only other bee here that has a pollen basket.

(For Your Wallet)

We have depicted the eleven bumble bee species of Cache Valley and neighboring mountains as stylized portraits. Each portrait depicts the bee’s back from above, with their heads facing the top of the screen (or page). Legs and wings are not shown, as they lack diagnostic features. The accompanying uncolored figure will guide you through the different relevant parts of a bee.

Some of the species will be exceedingly difficult to distinguish in the field, especially worn individuals, but other species can be recognized given a trained eye. There are three attributes of a bumble bee’s furry coat that you should see and note for identification. Progressing from head to abdomen, these are:

1) Head. What is the hair color atop the head yellow or black? 2) Thorax. Is there a patch of black hair on the top of the thorax, between or behind the wings? If so, is it a disc of black, a band of black, or is the entire hind half of the thorax covered in black hair? 3) Abdomen. Is the tip white? Are there orange bands? Which segments are orange? Is an orange band split by a central black stripe along the upper surface? Are the yellow hairs greenish or golden?

This might seem like a lot of detail to gather from such a small creature, but with a bit of practice it becomes easy and quick to see and note these features, just as when you are trying to identify a bird. To make it a bit easier, carry a notebook in which you can jot down the information or sketch the bees that you see. Binoculars can help with bees on bushes or in more inaccessible places. Importantly, take the time to enjoy watching the bee as she forages, and listen for her buzzing those flowering species that shed their pollen like a salt shaker through tiny pores at the tips of the anthers (examples include shooting star, tomato, and nightshade).

If that was not enough. How about this extensive chart from bumblebee.org

Bombus fraternus Range: New Jersey down to Florida, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico.	Bombus crotchii Range: California and Mexico	Bombus nevadaensis auricomus Note: sometimes just called Bombus auricomus. Range: Ontario to Florida, west to Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.
Bombus nevadensis nevadensis Range: Alaska to California, Arizona, New Mexico east to Wisconsin, Mexico.	Bombus morrisoni Range: British Columbia to California, east to South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico.	Bombus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus Range: Quebec, Ontario south to Florida, west to Minnesota, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico.
Bombus pennsylvanicus sonorus Note: sometimes known as Bombus sonorus Range: Texas, west to California, Mexico	Bombus grisecollis Range: Quebec south to Florida, west to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, northern California	Bombus perplexus Range: Alaska to Maine, south to Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Alberta
Bombus bimaculatus Range: Ontario, Maine south to Florida, west to Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi.	Bombus impatiens Range: Ontario, Maine south to Florida, west to Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri.	Bombus affinus Range: Quebec, Ontario south to Georgia, west to South Dakota and North Dakota. Note: Also known as the rusty-patched bumblebee. Range has declined sharply recently, now found in only a few areas. Often has a bald patch between the wings in the middle of the thorax.
Bombus vagans vagans Range: British Columbia east to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, Tennessee, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington.	Bombus sandersoni Range: Ontario to Newfoundland, south to Tennessee and North Carolina	Bombus frigidus Range: Alaska and Northwest territories, south to Colorado (high elevations only).
Bombus lucorum queen Range: Alaska south to Southern British Columbia and Alberta, east through Yukon and North Western Territories. More>>>	Bombus lucorum worker	Bombus lucorum male
Bombus ternarius Range: Yukon east to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, Michigan, Kansas, Montana, British Columbia.	Bombus terricola terricola Range: Nova Scotia to Florida, West to British Columbia, Montana, South Dakota. Note: Also known as the yellow-banded bumblebee. Once common, but now in steep decline.	Bombus terricola occidentalis Range: Alaska south to northern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota. Note: also known as Bombus occidentalis.
Bombus vandykei Range: Washington to southern California	Bombus vosnesenskii Range: British Columbia south to California, Nevada, Mexico	Bombus californicus Range: British Colimbia, Alberta south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico
Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebac, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.	Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebac, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.	Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebac, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.
Bombus caliginosus Range: Washington, Oregon, and coastal areas in California	Bombus bifarius nearticus Range: Alaska to Yukon south to California and Utah.	Bombus bifarius bifarius Range: British Columbia, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado.
Bombus balteatus Range: Arctic Alaska and Canada, Sierra Nevada and White Mountains, Truchas Peak in New Mexico.	Bombus hyperboreus Range: Arctic Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Greenland.	Bombus polaris polaris Range: Arctic Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Arctic Eurasia.
Bombus edwardsii Range: Oregon, California, Nevada	Bombus melanopygus Range: Alaska south to northern California, Idaho, Colorado	Bombus borealis Range: Southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta, Northern USA from Maine to New Jersey wast to North Dakota and South Dakota.
Bombus fervidus fervidus Range: Quebec and New Brunswick south to Georgia, west to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California and Mexico.	Bombus appositus Range: British Columbia east to Saskatchewan, south to New Mexico, Arizona and California.	Bombus sylvicola Range: Alaska east to Newfoundland, south through the mountains (Cascases, Sierra Nevada, Rockies), California, Utah, New Mexico.

(C) Copyright 1997-2009

Designing the Label

I'm selling honey and can't keep handwriting labels. Diane, a friend from college, offered to help design the label and now I need to get off my butt and think about some styles and images. Here is what I have so far.

I am torn between retro signs, circus sideshow, elegant botanical drawings or medieval woodcuts and manuscripts. Thoughts?

Dead Hive

I went out to check on the bees today. It has been cold and raining a lot this month and last year I almost lost a colony because their top blew off and they got all wet and cold and moldy. I wanted to make sure they were OK and it seemed warm enough today and sunny to open them up and make any adjustments they might need: more empty frames, reduce them down so they are warmer, treat for mites, feed them, whatever.

I have five colonies. Well. Now I have four. Hive Four is dead. No activity, dead bees all over the place. I am heartbroken. It was one of the swarms from the super productive colony, Hive Two, and we caught it when it swarmed on the fig tree last April. This means that Hive Four had the original queen from Hive Two and perhaps she was old and died this month. I also remember being a little hurried with them last time I opened this hive and I worry that I might have had something to do with their demise. Tempting fate, I lifted the top off even though I did not have a veil on to protect me if they were still some bees left in there. Nothing. No activity. Plenty of capped honey, just no bees. I had to hold back tears. I love these bees and want them to do well. This is my first dead hive. I am taking it hard.

Hive One, the ones that are my special favorites because they are the ones that swarmed into my house after my invitation, is weak again this winter. Hive Two is still a mini volcano of bees, not sure what their secret is. Hive Three is also a bit weak, not a ton of bee activity. Hive Four is dead. Sigh. Hive Five, another swarm we caught from Hive Two is doing fairly well.

It is funny how the stronger hives and weaker hives perform in winter. I would not have thought Hive Four would have failed since they were doing pretty well up until I left in early December. Hive Five, which is doing medium well, was fairly weak when I left. That is the one I was worried about but it is doing fine. And Hive One was pretty strong when I left and now it is barely putting along.

I wanted to open the hives up and see what was going on in there but decided to leave them alone since it really disrupts them and makes them use a lot of energy to put things back in order. Energy they do not really have to spare. Right now there is very little food for them. San Francisco is a great place for bees since something is blooming for them almost year round. November and December may be warm and sunny some days but it rains a lot and nothing is blooming for them. I understand that in a few weeks the eucalyptus will bloom and the bees will happily break their winter fast and fly out to collect the eucalyptus nectar.

Bees Want Their Honey Back

I extracted about 4 gallons of honey on Friday. I am getting the hang of it and it is going a lot faster. 2 1/2 hours from start to final clean-up. This weekend while I was filtering honey and managing all the wax and making candles I had to open the kitchen window because all the heat from the oven and space heater was making me feel faint. As I opened the window a bunch of honeybees came flying in and more were headed my way. I screamed a little and shut the window as quick as you can when covered in honey and wax. I guess they could smell it cooking and homed in on their property. I caught all the inside bees in a glass with a postcard over the top and let them back outside. I could see them all hovering outside my windows looking for a way to get in to take back their honey.