Bug FAQHigh Country Bumble Bee
Bombus balteatus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Golden-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus balteatus workers have a distinctive black pattern on a robust abdomen and body. They live in high-altitude boreal regions, often above the tree line, and are common where Castilleja, Chrysothammnus and Mertensia grow. Their range includes Finland, northern Sweden, Norway, Russia, arctic Alaska, Canada and mountain ranges of the western United States from the Sierra Nevada to New Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
In North America the species has a robust body and a characteristic black pattern on the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers high-altitude boreal habitats, often found above the tree line. The bee is most abundant where plants such as Castilleja, Chrysothammnus and Mertensia are common.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its long tongue lets it specialize on flowers with long corollas. It is a long-tongued bumblebee and is beginning to use a broader range of flower shapes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Alaska, Wyoming, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify Bombus balteatus?
Look for a robust body with a distinctive black pattern on the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Bombus balteatus found?
It lives in northern Europe and Asia and across arctic Alaska, Canada and high-elevation mountains of the western United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What flowers does Bombus balteatus visit?
Its long tongue lets it feed on flowers with long corollas, and it is beginning to use a broader range of flower shapes.
Source: Wikipedia
Which other bumblebees look like Bombus balteatus?
Bombus hyperboreus, Bombus frigidus and Bombus mixtus are the most closely related and can be confused with it.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_balteatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.