The bumblebee body can be divided into three main parts to make identification easy. These are:
The head, which can be quite difficult to see on a foraging bee as it is deep in the flower.
The thorax which has the wings and legs attached. It is really just a box of muscles. The biggest being the flight muscles.
The abdomen which has the honey stomach for storing nectar, the sting, the wax glands and all the digestive and reproductive organs. For more details on bumblebee anatomy click on the BODY tab above left or here.

Bombus fraternus Range: New Jersey down to Florida, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico.	Bombus crotchii Range: California and Mexico	Bombus nevadaensis auricomus Note: sometimes just called Bombus auricomus. Range: Ontario to Florida, west to Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.
Bombus nevadensis nevadensis Range: Alaska to California, Arizona, New Mexico east to Wisconsin, Mexico.	Bombus morrisoni Range: British Columbia to California, east to South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico.	Bombus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus Range: Quebec, Ontario south to Florida, west to Minnesota, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico.
Bombus pennsylvanicus sonorus Note: sometimes known as Bombus sonorus Range: Texas, west to California, Mexico	Bombus grisecollis Range: Quebec south to Florida, west to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, northern California	Bombus perplexus Range: Alaska to Maine, south to Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Alberta
Bombus bimaculatus Range: Ontario, Maine south to Florida, west to Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi. Note: a common species.	Bombus impatiens Range: Ontario, Maine south to Florida, west to Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri.	Bombus affinis Range: Quebec, Ontario south to Georgia, west to South Dakota and North Dakota. Note: Also known as the rusty-patched bumblebee. Once common, but its range has declined sharply since 1990, now found in only a few areas. Often has a bald patch between the wings in the middle of the thorax.
Bombus vagans vagans Range: British Columbia east to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, Tennessee, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington.	Bombus sandersoni Range: Ontario to Newfoundland, south to Tennessee and North Carolina	Bombus frigidus Range: Alaska and Northwest territories, south to Colorado (high elevations only).
Bombus lucorum queen Range: Alaska south to Southern British Columbia and Alberta, east through Yukon and North Western Territories. More>>>	Bombus lucorum worker	Bombus lucorum male
Bombus ternarius Range: Yukon east to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, Michigan, Kansas, Montana, British Columbia.	Bombus terricola terricola Range: Nova Scotia to Florida, West to British Columbia, Montana, South Dakota. Note: Also known as the yellow-banded bumblebee. Once common, but its range has declined dramatically since 1990.	Bombus terricola occidentalis Range: Alaska south to northern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota. Note: also known as Bombus occidentalis.
Bombus vandykei Range: Washington to southern California	Bombus vosnesenskii Range: British Columbia south to California, Nevada, Mexico	Bombus californicus Range: British Columbia, Alberta south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico
Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.	Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.	Bombus rufocinctus Range: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, west to British Columbia, south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Maine, Mexico.
Bombus caliginosus Range: Washington, Oregon, and coastal areas in California	Bombus bifarius nearticus Range: Alaska to Yukon south to California and Utah.	Bombus bifarius bifarius Range: British Columbia, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado.
Bombus balteatus Range: Arctic Alaska and Canada, Sierra Nevada and White Mountains, Truchas Peak in New Mexico.	Bombus hyperboreus Range: Arctic Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Greenland.	Bombus polaris polaris Range: Arctic Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Arctic Eurasia.
Bombus edwardsii Range: Oregon, California, Nevada	Bombus melanopygus Range: Alaska south to northern California, Idaho, Colorado	Bombus borealis Range: Southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta, Northern USA from Maine to New Jersey west to North Dakota and South Dakota.
Bombus fervidus fervidus Range: Quebec and New Brunswick south to Georgia, west to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California and Mexico.	Bombus appositus Range: British Columbia east to Saskatchewan, south to New Mexico, Arizona and California.	Bombus sylvicola Range: Alaska east to Newfoundland, south through the mountains (Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Rockies), California, Utah, New Mexico.
Bombus huntii Range: British Columbia, Alberta south to California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico.	Bombus flavifrons dimidiatus Range: Southern British Columbia to California.	Bombus flavifrons flavifrons Range: Alaska south to California, Idaho, Utah
Bombus sitkensis Range: Alaske south to Californis, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming	Bombus centralis Range: British Columbia, Alberta south to California, Arizona, New Mexico	Bombus mixtus Range: Alaska south to California, Idaho, Colorado.

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