Bumble bees
Bombus species
Strong enough to pull a milkweed’s pollen sacs free, which most of its visitors are not.
What it does on milkweed
Milkweed does not shed loose pollen. It packages it into waxy saddlebags, clipped in pairs to a wiry yoke, and a visiting insect has to slip a leg into a narrow slot and then pull hard enough to draw the pair out. Bumble bees have the mass and grip to manage it, and to insert the pollen into the next flower. Milkweed nectar is among the richest in the North American flora, and a stand in flower will hold several bumble bee species at once.
How to recognize it
Large, furry, banded black and yellow, often with orange or white on the tail. Look at the legs of one working a milkweed umbel and you may see the pollen sacs still clipped on.
Where and when
Across the United States. Species composition changes sharply with region and elevation. Most often seen May to September.
Should you do anything about it?
Plant milkweed for them as well as for monarchs, and add late-season nectar so the season does not end in August.
Bumble bees: common questions
Do bees get stuck in milkweed flowers?
Small insects do, and sometimes die there. A honey bee or a fly can trap a leg in the flower slot and be unable to pull free. Larger bees and wasps have the strength to escape, taking the pollen with them.
Cite this page
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Milkweed USA. (2026). Bumble bees (Bombus species). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/bumble-bees/
"Bumble bees (Bombus species)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/bumble-bees/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Bumble bees (Bombus species)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/bumble-bees/.
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title = {Bumble bees (Bombus species)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/bumble-bees/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}