A New Bumblebee Species Has Been Found In Wisconsin

There's a new species of bumblebee in Wisconsin! They are big, too, and they're going to help pollinate meadows, prairies, and grasslands across Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shared the information in late August that the species Bombus nevadensis has now been spotted in Wisconsin, with a female being recorded in Sauk County.

It's very similar to the black and gold bumblebee, but has different markings. They have short, dense fur, a long tongue, and they are big. Queen Nevada Bumblebees are beefy and can be as big as an inch. There aren't many flying insects bigger than these guys.

You can tell the difference between the male and female bumblebees quite easily. The males have yellow faces and a touch of red on their tail. Females have an entirely black head, with a yellow thorax.

They've been moving eastward across the United States for years. They were spotted in recent years in Minnesota and Chicago, and have now made their way east to Wisconsin.

The Nevada Bumblebee nests underground, and they like to feed on milkvetches, thistles, melilots, bergamot, penstemons, phacelias, salvias, betony, and clovers.

You can learn more about the other 21 species of bees in Wisconsin. There are tips for identifying and reporting bumblebee sightings so biologists can track our important pollinating friends.