Barbut's Cuckoo-bee vs Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus barbutellus compared with Bombus impatiens

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Barbut's Cuckoo-bee	Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (artrópodos)	Arthropoda (artrópodos)
Class same	Insecta (insecto)	Insecta (insecto)
Order same	Hymenoptera (himenópteros)	Hymenoptera (himenópteros)
Family same	Apidae (Bees)	Apidae (Bees)
Genus same	Bombus	Bombus
Species	Bombus barbutellus	Bombus impatiens

Evolutionary Relationship

Barbut's Cuckoo-bee and Common Eastern Bumble Bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Bombus.

Conservation Status

Barbut's Cuckoo-bee

LC — Least Concern

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Barbut's Cuckoo-bee	Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Barbut's Cuckoo-bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Mexico and United States.

Barbut's Cuckoo-bee

The Barbut's Cuckoo-bee (Bombus barbutellus) is a species in the genus Bombus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

<em>Bombus impatiens</em>, the common eastern bumble bee, is a native North American bee in the family Apidae, classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. The species is distributed across Mexico and the United States, typically inhabiting virtually all terrestrial and freshwater biomes within its range, from urban gardens and agricultural landscapes to forests, meadows, and wetland edges. As one of the most abundant and ecologically important pollinators in eastern North America, <em>Bombus impatiens</em> plays a critical role in the pollination of both wild plants and commercial crops, including tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries. It is among the most widely used bumble bee species for commercial greenhouse pollination globally. The species forms annual colonies founded by a single mated queen in early spring, with worker populations typically peaking in midsummer before new queens and males are produced in late summer. Common eastern bumble bees are capable of buzz pollination, or sonication, vibrating their flight muscles at a specific frequency to release pollen from anthers that resist wind or conventional bee pollination. While currently assessed as Least Concern, habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and pathogen spillover from commercial colonies are ongoing concerns for wild populations. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.