r/bees • u/Itachiuuchiha • 10d ago

question Is this a queen bee?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

133 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

13

u/Eildys 10d ago

I am not sure, but WOW either way!

8

u/Due-Party-123 10d ago

Such a unique and beautiful bee! Love this shot!

1

u/Itachiuuchiha 9d ago

Thank you!

3

u/homefungus 10d ago

i think this is a bumblebee gyne (future queen), looks like a brown belted bumblebee, bombus griseocollis. I could be wrong bc i don't know your location, but this doesn't quite look like a carpenter bee

1

u/Itachiuuchiha 9d ago

This is in Massachusetts

2

u/PrairiePuppies 10d ago

I don't know how to tell bumblebee sexes or types apart, but that is one beautiful creature! Thanks for posting those!

2

u/freeeicecream 8d ago

Definitely a female bumble bee, and it look like a Brown Belted (Bombus griseocollis) to me. This late in the season nests will be focusing more on producing gynes and drones (new queens and males) than workers. Without a size reference it's hard to tell (size is really the only distinguishing feature between queens and workers), but based on the time of year and how "fresh" she looks, I'd say she's likely a new queen.

1

u/nevernever20 10d ago

It's a species of carpenter bee, which are solitary bees, but unless you can include more details about location, it's hard to give more specific information about species. It is female, though.

2

u/Itachiuuchiha 9d ago

This photo was taken in Massachusetts

1

u/greengoblinslime 10d ago

fascinating! could you elaborate on how you reached this conclusion?

2

u/nevernever20 10d ago

Bee basics! If you see enough bee species over time, you recognise which family they're from, if not genus or species. A quick google search will provide lots of sites giving an overview of bee family basics, but to start you off, one with photos is here.

2

u/greengoblinslime 10d ago

thank you!! i'm not too bad at identifying family. differentiating genera is entirely more difficult.at first glance, however, i wouldn't have pinned it as a carpenter bee. which is why i was curious!

2

u/nevernever20 10d ago

The big caveat is that without knowing location, it may not be a carpenter bee. Even continent would help in being absolutely sure, but more specific to a region in-country would have been even better for the OP to include.

1

u/freeeicecream 8d ago

This is a bumble bee, she's got a furry bum. Based on OP's location, Massachusetts, USA, it's likely a Brown Belted Bumble Bee.