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.	Bombus impatiens Range: Ontario, Maine south to Florida, west to Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri.	Bombus affinus Range: Quebec, Ontario south to Georgia, west to South Dakota and North Dakota. Note: Also known as the rusty-patched bumblebee. Range has declined sharply recently, 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 now in steep decline.	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 Colimbia, Alberta south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico
Bombus caliginosus Range: Washington, Oregon, and coastal areas in California

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