Brown-belted Bumble Bee

The Brown-belted Bumble Bee is a robust native bumble bee with dense golden-yellow and black hair and a characteristic warm brown band near the front of the abdomen. These photographs show the bee from several useful angles: feeding among yellow disk florets, viewed from the side and front, and resting among foliage.

For identification details and field characteristics, see Bombus griseocollis in the Field Notes section.

Close side view of a Brown-belted Bumble Bee feeding among the disk florets of a yellow flower

Among the Florets
A close side view reveals the bee's dense coat, dark legs, long antennae, and translucent wings as it feeds.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Settings: ISO 200 • Aperture f/8.0 • Shutter 1/80 s
D79A5241 • Size: 2757 x 4135

Brown-belted Bumble Bee perched on a yellow flower with a soft blue and green background

Above the Meadow
Perched high on a yellow bloom, the bumble bee stands out against the soft blue and green background.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Settings: ISO 200 • Aperture f/8.0 • Shutter 1/400 s
D79A4910-2 • Size: 3762 x 2508

Front view of a Brown-belted Bumble Bee clinging to the petals of a yellow flower

Head On
Seen head-on, the bee's dark face and antennae contrast sharply with the pale hairs surrounding the thorax.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Settings: ISO 200 • Aperture f/2.8 • Shutter 1/500 s
D79A5262 • Size: 1988 x 1325

Resting in the Leaves
Clinging beneath the foliage, the bee pauses away from the flowers and exposes the underside of its fuzzy thorax.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 8000 • Aperture f/10.0 • Shutter 1/50 s
D79A0292 • Size: 3200 x 2133

Hidden Lives Among Petals

Brown-belted Bumble Bee and Crab Spider sharing a yellow flower in a close encounter beneath a blue sky

Face to Face
A Brown-belted Bumble Bee and Crab Spider meet on the same flower, turning a routine feeding stop into a close encounter.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro
Settings: ISO 400 • Aperture f/8.0 • Shutter 1/400 s
D79A2085 • Size: 1500 x 1000

Brown-belted Bumble Bee among yellow petals with a Crab Spider concealed nearby

Hidden Lives Among Petals
A Brown-belted Bumble Bee works among the petals while a concealed Crab Spider shares the flower.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro
Settings: ISO 400 • Aperture f/11.0 • Shutter 1/200 s
D79A2070 • Size: 1945 x 1297

Brown-belted Bumble Bee feeding on a yellow flower while a Crab Spider waits among the petals

The Waiting Hunter
As the bumble bee works the flower, a Crab Spider remains hidden among the petals.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro
Settings: ISO 400 • Aperture f/11.0 • Shutter 1/200 s
D79A2072 • Size: 6720 x 4480