''Bombus insularis'' is a species of

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

in the subgenus ''Psithyrus'', the cuckoo bumblebees. It is native to northern and western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, where it occurs throughout Canada, Alaska, the northern United States, and some western states. It is known commonly as the indiscriminate cuckoo bumblebee.Hatfield, R., et al. 2014
''Bombus insularis''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 08 March 2016.NatureServe. 2015
''Bombus insularis''.
NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 8 March 2016. The female of the species is 1.6 to 1.9 centimeters long and just under a centimeter wide. The head is black with tufts of yellow hairs and the thorax is coated in long pale yellow hairs. The legs are hairy black. The abdomen has is black with yellow along the sides. The male is smaller, about half a centimeter wide at the abdomen. The head has long black hairs with small patches of yellow and the abdomen has strips of yellow and black hairs.''Bombus insularis''.
Mitchell, T. B. 1962. ''Bees of the Eastern United States''. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 152. Reprinted at Discoverlife.org. This species lives in

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

and

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

, western mountain ranges, and some maritime regions. As in other cuckoo bees, the queen of this species enters the nest of a host species, kills the resident queen, and lives and breeds in the nest tended by the host workers. Host species of this bee include the white-shouldered bumblebee (''B. appositus''), yellow bumblebee (''B. fervidus''), yellow-fronted bumblebee (''B. flavifrons''), Nevada bumblebee (''B. nevadensis''), and orange-belted bumblebee (''B. ternarius''). This bee is still common and widespread, though it has declined in some areas and disappeared from a few parts of its historical range. Some of its host species have faced more significant declines. Potential threats include habitat loss,

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...

s, pathogens from domesticated pollinators, competition from introduced bees, and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

References

NatureServe apparently secure species Bumblebees Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1861 {{bombus-stub