Guide to Bumble Bees of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana
Identifying bumble bees can be tricky, but once you know what to look for, the species within this region can be recognized fairly easily (as long as the photo shows the key characters).
--> Hopefully, this guide will be helpful: Guide to Bumble Bees of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas (and probably Missouri)
@neylon has put together a more detailed guide for distinguishing Bombus impatiens, bimaculatus, & griseocollis
For some species, males can look quite different than females. In fact, at one point in the past, B. pensylvanicus males were classified as a different genus! Males and females of B. sonorus and pensylvanicus can be compared here (assuming they're annotated correctly):
- B. sonorus males: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=57690&term_id=9&term_value_id=11
- B. pensylvanicus males: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=56887&term_id=9&term_value_id=11
- Both sexes mating (a rare sight!)
