Western Bumble Bee Queen
Bombus occidentalis (queen)
The Western Bumble Bee Queen emerges in spring and searches meadows, open woodlands, farms, and montane habitats for a sheltered nesting site, often using an abandoned rodent burrow. She feeds on nectar and collects pollen while establishing the first brood cells of a new colony. Unlike workers, the queen survives winter alone in a protected underground shelter before founding a colony the following season. A notable fact is that her venomous sting can be used repeatedly in defense because bumble bee stingers are not strongly barbed.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- VU
Growth chain
- ?
- Western Bumble Bee Pupa
- Western Bumble Bee
- Western Bumble Bee Queen
- ?