These three species are the only ones with any red hair. The Tricolored Bumble Bee is one of the most common species in the state, though scarce in the Champlain Valley. Red-belted Bumble Bees are incredibly variable but often have significant red. They are uncommon to rare and largely limited to the Champlain Valley. The Rusty-patched Bumble Bee was once common in Vermont but hasn’t been found in the state since 2000 and is now federally endangered.

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Bombus ternarius)

Thorax with distinct black shield, abdomen with two red segments in the middle. Photo © Kent McFarland

Red-belted Bumble Bee (Bombus rufocinctus)

Thorax with rounded black dot, red on abdomen variable and not always present. Photo © Spencer Hardy

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis)

Formally common in Vermont, but not recorded in the state since 1999. Federally endangered since 2017. Photo © Margarita Miklasevskaja at PCYU