The yellow bumble bee is a charismatic pollinator native to New York State and other parts of North America. Though they are not especially common, they are extremely efficient and fast pollinators. Unlike many bumble bee species, they have extremelylong tongues, allowing them special access to rich pollen sources. Both the queen and worker have black faces and a hairy yellow thorax. A characteristic thin black band stretches between the bases of their two pairs of wings. Their abdomen is mostly yellow, though the bottom segments are black. Physical appearance of male workers, female workers, and queens are similar, but queens are notably larger and male workers sometimes have small yellow hairs on the face. Males may also be a more vibrant yellowthan females. Though they usually nest above ground, they occasionally nest underground. Yellow bumble bees are active from early spring until the end of the fall and reproduce throughout this time. After mating, the queen dies, a new queen is established, and that queen hibernates through the winter.
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