Golden-belted bumble bee
Bombus balteatus, the golden-belted bumble bee, is a species of bumblebee with a boreal and high altitude distribution in northern Eurasia and North America.
Bombus balteatus is a long-tongued bumblebee. Often the tongue length reaches two-thirds or more the length of the body. This morphological feature allows them to specialize on flowers with long corollas. In North America, workers can be identified by a distinctive black abdomen pattern and robust body.
This species is found in Finland, northern Sweden, Russia, and North America from arctic Alaska, Canada, and mountain ranges in the United States such as the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains down south to New Mexico. Their preferred habitat includes high altitude and boreal regions, and they are often found at higher elevations than the tree line. Bombus balteatus is often most abundant where Castilleja, Chrysothammnus, and Mertensia plant species are common. Some populations of bees, including in the Rocky Mountains, specifically Mount Blue Sky, Niwot Ridge and Pennsylvania Mountain have declined in the 21st century.
