Mostly found in the Eastern part of Texas, the two-spotted bumblebee is marked by a black spot in the middle of its thorax with yellow fuzz on its head, sides, and a small "W" on the first segment of its abdomen. The worker and queen two-spotted bees measure .63 inches long, and male two-spotted bees measure .51 to .57 inches long.
Two-spotted bumblebees pollinate certain flowers including Phlox, Brown Eyed Susans, Hydrangea and Verbena.
Southern Plains bumblebees are located all across Texas. The Southern Plains bumblebee is marked with a large, horizontal, deep black elliptical shape in the center of its thorax. The third through sixth segments of its abdomen are also solid black. The bee's head is solid black and shiny, unlike the two-spotted bumblebee which is covered entirely with hair. Queen bees, which have clear wings, can measure between .70 to 1 inch in length, whereas worker bees, identified by shimmery grey wings, measure .47-to-.65 inches.
Southern Plains bumblebees frequent cactus flowers, orchids, Brown-Eyed Susans and many other flowers in the daisy family.
The brown-belted bumblebee is found in a small portion of Eastern Texas. Identified by a brown belly, brown shot on its thorax, and deep brown abdomen on the second through sixth segments, the brown-belted bumblebee also has a shiny black head and black wings. Queen bees measure .83 to .91 inches long, workers measure .59 to .75 inches long and males measure .37 to .71 inches long.
Irises, Asters, Hibscus, Violas and Hydrangeas are among several flower types that attract brown-belted bumblebees.
The common Eastern bumblebee is most common bee in the United States and is generally found in Eastern Texas. The common bumblebee has a small brown spot on the thorax and the abdomen is entirely black from the second through sixth segments. The common bumblebee has iridescent wings, a black, shiny head and hairy body. Queen bees measure .66 to .83 inches long, workers are .33 to .63 inches long and males are .47 to .70 inches long.
Common bumblebees frequent suburbs and urban areas, and they are often attracted to roses, Clematis, Sedum, dogwood flowers, and butterfly bushes among several other varieties.
The American bumblebee is found all across Texas, but the numbers are dwindling even though the species still heavily populate areas along the Gulf Coast. Identified by a horizontal line on the thorax and mostly yellow abdomen, the American bumblebee is covered in fur and has black wings. Worker bees have black underbellies. Queen bees are .83 to 1 inch long, workers are .55 to .71 inches long and males are .63 to .87 inches long.
Delphinium, Hibiscus, Hydrangeas and Salvia are among several flowers that attract the American bumblebee to your yard.
The variable cuckoo bumblebee is known as a parasitic bee as it leeches off other bee colonies and does not have worker bees. The cuckoo bee infiltrates hives of the American bumblebees to mate since these two bee species are closely related, and then feeds off the other bees.
The variable cuckoo bumblebee are found in Central Texas. These bees are identifiable by a large black dot on the thorax, black abdomen and small amount of fur on the body. Female bees measure .45 to .60 inches long, whereas males measure .45 to .54 inches long.
