Bumble...Up Close

They is an American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus [pennsylvanicus] 
Sorry 'bout that...I just love their Latin name...'Bombus'! Doing a bit of reading, I found that most of the bumblebees we see visiting our flowers during the year are worker bees but in the in early spring and late summer these Big Girls show up. They are the fertile queens and are the only ones to survive the winter to start new colonies. This bee can sting but is not aggressive. The American Bumble Bee is in great danger in the US from the use of pesticides and habitat destruction.