Creature Feature: Yellow-faced Bumble Bee

How to Recognize the Yellow-Faced Bumblebee

This month’s featured creature is one of the most commonly seen native bees in San Diego: the Yellow-faced Bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii). You can tell this bee from other bumblebees by its yellow forehead and “shoulders."

Where Do Yellow-Faced Bumblebees Live?

These bees are native to the West Coast, ranging from Baja California to British Columbia. Unlike many native bee species, the Yellow-faced does pretty well in urban environments—as long as there are undisturbed patches of earth where they can nest underground (a.k.a. unpaved surfaces!). If you’ve seen a bumblebee in your neighborhood or garden, there’s a good chance it was this species.

What Makes Bumblebees Special?

Bumblebees are a fascinating bunch. They tend to be bigger, fuzzier, and hardier than many other native bees. This makes them especially valuable ecologically. When the weather turns cold, windy, or rainy, bumblebees can stay on pollination duty longer than smaller bees with weaker wings.

They also perform a mind-blowing trick called “buzz pollination”—using their flight muscles to vibrate and extract pollen from flowers that other pollinators can’t access.

The Secret Strength of Bumblebees

Bumblebees are often portrayed as tiny, fuzzy, and dainty—but maybe we should think of them as burly and strong, with lots of hair on their chests. Because they’re beefy, bumblebees are actually able to thermoregulate—maintain a body temperature different from their surroundings.

In fact, the queen of a Yellow-faced Bumblebee colony uses this ability to incubate her eggs, keeping them warm by burning calories from pollen, nectar, and honey. How sweet!

How to Attract Yellow-Faced Bumblebees to Your Garden

Want to welcome these pollinators to your yard? Their favorite flowers include:

• Native thistles

• Buckwheats

• Phacelias

• Lupines

Interestingly, research shows that Yellow-faced Bumblebees prefer diverse flower gardens over ones with just high abundance. They probably know that variety is the spice of life.

A Final Note: Bumblebees and Tomatoes

If you’ve ever enjoyed store-bought tomatoes (especially those grown in greenhouses), you’ve benefitted from the work of Yellow-faced Bumblebees. These bees are bred and sold specifically for the tomato industry, providing crucial pollination services. You’re welcome!