Bumble Bees of North America: an Identification Guide
With Paul Williams, Robbin Thorp and Sheila Colla, I authored Bumble Bees of North America: an Identification Guide, published by Princeton University Press in 2014.
In order to produce the book's maps maps, graphs of seasonal activity patterns and lists of host plants, we gathered digital records of bumble bee specimens from museums, academic collections, private collectors, and online specimen data repositories. We also received some larger, aggregate datasets from individuals who had collected bee data for other purposes. The database included nearly 275,000 records of bumble bee specimens collected around North America from 1805 to the present. I continue to add to the database in order to use it for additional research and conservation projects, and as of January 2022, have compiled more than 600,000 specimen and observation records for North American bumble bees. This effort has benefited from contributions by around 250 individuals and/or institutions around the world. Below is a list of individuals and institutions whom I gratefully acknowledge as direct contributors to this resource and to publications that are based on it. A full list of collections in which the specimens reside is available upon request.
Data contributors:
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Algonquin Provincial Park
Amélie Gervais (Laval U)
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Andrew Horton (USFWS)
Anna Beauchemin (U Vermont)
Anna Hargreaves (Queens U)
Anya Reid (U British Columbia)
Archbold Biological Station
Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre
Ball State U
Barcode of Life Database
Barry Hicks, College of the N Atlantic, NL
Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory (USDA-ARS)
BeeSpotter.org
Bernd Heinrich (U Vermont)
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario
Bob Jacobson (Greer Labs, Inc)
Bohart Museum of Entomology (U California, Davis)
Brigham Young U
Bryce Lewis-Smith (Occidental)
BugGuide.net
BumbleBeeWatch.org
Bumbleboosters
C.A. Triplehorn Insect Collection (Ohio State U)
California Academy of Sciences
Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian National Collection
Caroline Scully (Antioch New England U)
Carrie Lopez (Humboldt State U)
Casey M. Delphia (Montana State U)
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Chris Marshall (Oregon State U)
Christine Urbanowicz (North Carolina State U)
Christophe Buidin
Christopher Lortie (York U)
Claire Kremen (U California Berkeley)
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
College of the North Atlantic
Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (MX)
Connecticut Agricultural Extension Station
Cornell U Insect Collection
Cory Sheffield (Royal Saskatchewan Museum)
Dan Fiscus (Frostburg U)
Dartmouth College
Dave Fraser (COSEWIC)
Dave McCorquodale (Cape Breton U)
Derek Sikes (U of Alaska Fairbanks)
Don Miller (Lyndon State U)
Doug Gill (U Maryland)
Doug Golick (U Nebraska)
Doug Yanega (U California Riverside)
Dwayne Sabine (NB Fish and Wildlife)
Edwin S. George Reserve (U Michigan)
El Collegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR)
Elaine Evans (U Minnesota)
Elm Fork Natural History Museum
Essig Museum of Entomology (U California Berkeley)
Ethan Temeles (U Massachusetts)
Etienne Normandin (U Montreal)
Fred Morrison
Frost Entomological Museum Penn State (PSUC)
Fundacion Universidad de las Americas, Puebla
Gary Antweiler
Gerry I. Stage
Glacier National Park Collections
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest
Harold Ikerd (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology
Heather Hines (Penn State U)
Helen Loffland (Institute for Bird Populations)
Helen Young (Middlebury College)
Humboldt State U Insect Laboratory
idigbio.org
Illinois Natural History Survey
iNaturalist.org
Isaac Stewart (Black Hawk College)
J.B. Wallis Museum of Entomology (U Manitoba)
James Cane (USDA-ARS BBSL)
James Postlethwaite (Cape Breton U)
James Thomson (U Toronto)
Jamie Cromartie (Stockton College)
Jamie Strange (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Jeff Freeman (Castleton State College)
Jeff Lozier (U Alabama)
Jennifer Geib (Appalachian State U)
Jenny Heron (COSEWIC)
Jessica Beckham (U Texas)
Jessica Rykken (US National Parks Service)
Joan Milam (UMass Amherst)
Joanna Wilson (NWT Dep't Environment and Natural Resources)
Joel Gardner (U Minnesota)
John Ascher (American Museum of Natural History/National U of Singapore)
John Klymko (Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Center)
John Mola (U California Davis)
Jonathan Koch (U Hawaii)
Joseph Moisan DeSerres (U Laval)
Karen Wetherill Wright (U New Mexico)
Kelly Price (Vermont Fish and Wildlife)
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Keng-Lou James Hung (U Toronto)
Kent McFarland (Vermont Center for Ecostudies)
Kevin M. O'Neill
Kevin Matteson (Fordham U)
Kyle Teixeira-Martins (McGill U)
L'Association Le Balbuzard, QC
Larry Clarfeld (North Branch Nature Center)
Lassen National Forest
Laura Burkle (Montana State U)
Laura Figueroa (Cornell U)
Lauren Ponisio (U California Riverside)
Laurence Packer (York U)
Lawrence Gall (Yale U Peabody Museum)
Lee Solter (Illinois Natural History Survey)
Leif Richardson (U Vermont)
Leif Richardson Research Collection
Liz Day
Los Angeles County Museum
Lyman Entomological Collection (McGill U)
M.T. James Museum (Washington State U)
Maine Bumble Bee Atlas
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Margie Wilkes (Parks Canada)
Mark Vandever (USGS)
Massachusetts Cranberry Research Station
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Melissa Brooks (Humboldt State U)
Michael Arduser
Michael Veit (Lawrence Academy)
Michael Warriner (USFWS)
Michel Savard
Michelle Duennes (U California Riverside)
Middlebury College (doi.org/10.15468/vjrcj0)
Mike Ivie (Montana State U)
Mike Riter
Mississippi Entomological Museum (MSU)
Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium
Molly Notestine (UMass Amherst)
Montana State U
Natural History Museum of Rotterdam (NL)
Naturgucker
Neal Williams (U California Davis)
New Brunswick Museum
New York State Museum
Nick Leone
Nils Cordes (U Bielefeld)
North Carolina State U Insect Museum
Norwich U
Nova Scotia Dep't Natural Resources
Nova Scotia Museum
Occidental College Entomology
Oklahoma State U
Oregon State U Arthropod Museum
Patricia Hinds
Patuxent Wildlife Reserach Center (PWRC)
Paul H. Williams (UK Natural History Museum)
Peabody Museum of Natural History (Yale U)
Peter Hallett
Pierre Rasmont
Pierre-Marc Brousseau (Montreal Insectarium)
Purdue U
Rachael Winfree (Rutgers U)
Rebecca Irwin (North Carolina State U)
Rebecca Tonietto (Northwestern U)
Rémy Vandame (Ecosur)
Rich Hatfield (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation)
Rob Jean (Environmental Solutions and Innovations)
Robbin Thorp (U California Davis)
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
Rosemary Malfi (U California Davis)
Royal Alberta Museum
Royal British Columbia Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
S. Hollis Woodard (U California Riverside)
S.M. Fullerton Collection of Arthropods (U Central Florida)
Sam Droege (USGS Patuxent)
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Sara Zahendra (Vermont Center for Ecostudies)
Sean Griffin (North Carolina State U)
Selkirk College
Shalene Jha (U Texas)
Sheena Sidhu (U California Riverside)
Sheila Colla (York U)
Sherry Surrette (Mississippi State U)
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Snow Entomological Museum (U Kansas)
South Dakota State U
South Western Oklahoma State U
Spencer Hardy (U Vermont)
Steve Javorek (Agriculture Canada)
Steve Robles (Virginia Natural Heritage Program)
Stone Environmental, Inc.
Susan Carpenter (U Wisconsin)
Susan Nyoka (Humboldt State U)
Syd Cannings (Canadian Wildlife Service)
Sydney Cameron (U Illinois)
Symbiota Collection of Arthropods Network
Taylor Ricketts (U Vermont)
Terry Griswold (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Texas A&M U
Texas Memorial Museum Austin
The Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection (Michigan State U)
The Field Museum of Natural History
The Purdue Entomological Research Collection
Tracey Zarillo (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station)
Trish Hanson (Vermont Forests and Parks)
U Alaska Museum
U Alberta Museums
U Bern
U California San Diego
U California, Riverside
U Central Oklahoma
U Colorado Boulder Museum Natural History Museum
U Connecticut
U Guelph
U Kansas Biodiversity Institute
U Mass Amherst
U Minnesota
U New Hamphsire
U Oklahoma
U Prince Edward Island
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia
USDA-ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory (USDA-ARS BBSL)
USGS Pollinator Library
Valerie Fournier (Laval)
Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM
Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas
Vermont Center for Ecostudies (doi.org/10.15468/obes6t)
Vermont Forests and Parks
Victoria Macphail (York U)
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U Insect Collection (VPI-VTEC)
W.F. Barr Entomological Collection (U of Idaho)
Wallis Roughley Museum of Entomology (U Manitoba)
Wisconsin Insect Research Collection
Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Yale U Peabody Museum
York U
Zack Cota-Weaver (Johnson State College)
Zadock Thompson Zoological Collection (UVM)
In order to produce the book's maps maps, graphs of seasonal activity patterns and lists of host plants, we gathered digital records of bumble bee specimens from museums, academic collections, private collectors, and online specimen data repositories. We also received some larger, aggregate datasets from individuals who had collected bee data for other purposes. The database included nearly 275,000 records of bumble bee specimens collected around North America from 1805 to the present. I continue to add to the database in order to use it for additional research and conservation projects, and as of January 2022, have compiled more than 600,000 specimen and observation records for North American bumble bees. This effort has benefited from contributions by around 250 individuals and/or institutions around the world. Below is a list of individuals and institutions whom I gratefully acknowledge as direct contributors to this resource and to publications that are based on it. A full list of collections in which the specimens reside is available upon request.
Data contributors:
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Algonquin Provincial Park
Amélie Gervais (Laval U)
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Andrew Horton (USFWS)
Anna Beauchemin (U Vermont)
Anna Hargreaves (Queens U)
Anya Reid (U British Columbia)
Archbold Biological Station
Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre
Ball State U
Barcode of Life Database
Barry Hicks, College of the N Atlantic, NL
Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory (USDA-ARS)
BeeSpotter.org
Bernd Heinrich (U Vermont)
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario
Bob Jacobson (Greer Labs, Inc)
Bohart Museum of Entomology (U California, Davis)
Brigham Young U
Bryce Lewis-Smith (Occidental)
BugGuide.net
BumbleBeeWatch.org
Bumbleboosters
C.A. Triplehorn Insect Collection (Ohio State U)
California Academy of Sciences
Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian National Collection
Caroline Scully (Antioch New England U)
Carrie Lopez (Humboldt State U)
Casey M. Delphia (Montana State U)
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Chris Marshall (Oregon State U)
Christine Urbanowicz (North Carolina State U)
Christophe Buidin
Christopher Lortie (York U)
Claire Kremen (U California Berkeley)
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
College of the North Atlantic
Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (MX)
Connecticut Agricultural Extension Station
Cornell U Insect Collection
Cory Sheffield (Royal Saskatchewan Museum)
Dan Fiscus (Frostburg U)
Dartmouth College
Dave Fraser (COSEWIC)
Dave McCorquodale (Cape Breton U)
Derek Sikes (U of Alaska Fairbanks)
Don Miller (Lyndon State U)
Doug Gill (U Maryland)
Doug Golick (U Nebraska)
Doug Yanega (U California Riverside)
Dwayne Sabine (NB Fish and Wildlife)
Edwin S. George Reserve (U Michigan)
El Collegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR)
Elaine Evans (U Minnesota)
Elm Fork Natural History Museum
Essig Museum of Entomology (U California Berkeley)
Ethan Temeles (U Massachusetts)
Etienne Normandin (U Montreal)
Fred Morrison
Frost Entomological Museum Penn State (PSUC)
Fundacion Universidad de las Americas, Puebla
Gary Antweiler
Gerry I. Stage
Glacier National Park Collections
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest
Harold Ikerd (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology
Heather Hines (Penn State U)
Helen Loffland (Institute for Bird Populations)
Helen Young (Middlebury College)
Humboldt State U Insect Laboratory
idigbio.org
Illinois Natural History Survey
iNaturalist.org
Isaac Stewart (Black Hawk College)
J.B. Wallis Museum of Entomology (U Manitoba)
James Cane (USDA-ARS BBSL)
James Postlethwaite (Cape Breton U)
James Thomson (U Toronto)
Jamie Cromartie (Stockton College)
Jamie Strange (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Jeff Freeman (Castleton State College)
Jeff Lozier (U Alabama)
Jennifer Geib (Appalachian State U)
Jenny Heron (COSEWIC)
Jessica Beckham (U Texas)
Jessica Rykken (US National Parks Service)
Joan Milam (UMass Amherst)
Joanna Wilson (NWT Dep't Environment and Natural Resources)
Joel Gardner (U Minnesota)
John Ascher (American Museum of Natural History/National U of Singapore)
John Klymko (Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Center)
John Mola (U California Davis)
Jonathan Koch (U Hawaii)
Joseph Moisan DeSerres (U Laval)
Karen Wetherill Wright (U New Mexico)
Kelly Price (Vermont Fish and Wildlife)
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Keng-Lou James Hung (U Toronto)
Kent McFarland (Vermont Center for Ecostudies)
Kevin M. O'Neill
Kevin Matteson (Fordham U)
Kyle Teixeira-Martins (McGill U)
L'Association Le Balbuzard, QC
Larry Clarfeld (North Branch Nature Center)
Lassen National Forest
Laura Burkle (Montana State U)
Laura Figueroa (Cornell U)
Lauren Ponisio (U California Riverside)
Laurence Packer (York U)
Lawrence Gall (Yale U Peabody Museum)
Lee Solter (Illinois Natural History Survey)
Leif Richardson (U Vermont)
Leif Richardson Research Collection
Liz Day
Los Angeles County Museum
Lyman Entomological Collection (McGill U)
M.T. James Museum (Washington State U)
Maine Bumble Bee Atlas
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Margie Wilkes (Parks Canada)
Mark Vandever (USGS)
Massachusetts Cranberry Research Station
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Melissa Brooks (Humboldt State U)
Michael Arduser
Michael Veit (Lawrence Academy)
Michael Warriner (USFWS)
Michel Savard
Michelle Duennes (U California Riverside)
Middlebury College (doi.org/10.15468/vjrcj0)
Mike Ivie (Montana State U)
Mike Riter
Mississippi Entomological Museum (MSU)
Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium
Molly Notestine (UMass Amherst)
Montana State U
Natural History Museum of Rotterdam (NL)
Naturgucker
Neal Williams (U California Davis)
New Brunswick Museum
New York State Museum
Nick Leone
Nils Cordes (U Bielefeld)
North Carolina State U Insect Museum
Norwich U
Nova Scotia Dep't Natural Resources
Nova Scotia Museum
Occidental College Entomology
Oklahoma State U
Oregon State U Arthropod Museum
Patricia Hinds
Patuxent Wildlife Reserach Center (PWRC)
Paul H. Williams (UK Natural History Museum)
Peabody Museum of Natural History (Yale U)
Peter Hallett
Pierre Rasmont
Pierre-Marc Brousseau (Montreal Insectarium)
Purdue U
Rachael Winfree (Rutgers U)
Rebecca Irwin (North Carolina State U)
Rebecca Tonietto (Northwestern U)
Rémy Vandame (Ecosur)
Rich Hatfield (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation)
Rob Jean (Environmental Solutions and Innovations)
Robbin Thorp (U California Davis)
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
Rosemary Malfi (U California Davis)
Royal Alberta Museum
Royal British Columbia Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
S. Hollis Woodard (U California Riverside)
S.M. Fullerton Collection of Arthropods (U Central Florida)
Sam Droege (USGS Patuxent)
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Sara Zahendra (Vermont Center for Ecostudies)
Sean Griffin (North Carolina State U)
Selkirk College
Shalene Jha (U Texas)
Sheena Sidhu (U California Riverside)
Sheila Colla (York U)
Sherry Surrette (Mississippi State U)
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Snow Entomological Museum (U Kansas)
South Dakota State U
South Western Oklahoma State U
Spencer Hardy (U Vermont)
Steve Javorek (Agriculture Canada)
Steve Robles (Virginia Natural Heritage Program)
Stone Environmental, Inc.
Susan Carpenter (U Wisconsin)
Susan Nyoka (Humboldt State U)
Syd Cannings (Canadian Wildlife Service)
Sydney Cameron (U Illinois)
Symbiota Collection of Arthropods Network
Taylor Ricketts (U Vermont)
Terry Griswold (USDA-ARS BBSL)
Texas A&M U
Texas Memorial Museum Austin
The Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection (Michigan State U)
The Field Museum of Natural History
The Purdue Entomological Research Collection
Tracey Zarillo (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station)
Trish Hanson (Vermont Forests and Parks)
U Alaska Museum
U Alberta Museums
U Bern
U California San Diego
U California, Riverside
U Central Oklahoma
U Colorado Boulder Museum Natural History Museum
U Connecticut
U Guelph
U Kansas Biodiversity Institute
U Mass Amherst
U Minnesota
U New Hamphsire
U Oklahoma
U Prince Edward Island
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia
USDA-ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory (USDA-ARS BBSL)
USGS Pollinator Library
Valerie Fournier (Laval)
Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM
Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas
Vermont Center for Ecostudies (doi.org/10.15468/obes6t)
Vermont Forests and Parks
Victoria Macphail (York U)
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U Insect Collection (VPI-VTEC)
W.F. Barr Entomological Collection (U of Idaho)
Wallis Roughley Museum of Entomology (U Manitoba)
Wisconsin Insect Research Collection
Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Yale U Peabody Museum
York U
Zack Cota-Weaver (Johnson State College)
Zadock Thompson Zoological Collection (UVM)
