The Bumblebees of Los Angeles
by
Anstruther Davidson, M.D.
1911

Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences
Volume 10, Number 2, Page 67

Bombus fervidus Fabr. Is the most common of all the bumblebees in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Along the shore, especially at Redondo and Balboa it is quite common. Their nests may readily be found among the rushes (Juncus) in the marshy flats along the coast. They are constructed of dry grass and mossy fragments in the usual manner of the tribe and may be hidden at the roots or shrubs or rushes or concealed in the forsaken burrows of the ground squirrel. It is impossible to explore their nests without protection for the face and hands. No matter how carefully you approach them or how gently the nest is opened, they attack one most furiously. Perhaps the frequent disturbances by hungry cattle roaming these unfruitful pastures may have developed this pugnacity for their successful existence. In the interior they are not at all common though they range inland as far as the New Mexican border.

B. sonorus Say. Is fairly common on the coast and has been collected inland through the ranges around the Mohave desert to Inyo County and at Palm Springs in the Colorado desert.

B. californicus Smith. Most commonly found on the coast beaches and at Catalina; less frequently in the San Bernardino Mountains up to 6000 feet altitude.

B. columbicus (Dall Torre). More common than the last with the same range in Southern California. I found this species in the Sequoia National Park, but none of B. californicus of which it is supposed to be but a variety. Mr. T. D. Cockerell has suggested that they may be distinct species and the larger size of the males of the latter would bear this out. I have sought in vain for the nests of these two species in the endeavor to definitely determine their relative status. Personally I think they are distinct species.

B. edwardsii Cress. In the Sierra’s at Sequoia National Park this insect is fairly common. It is somewhat rare in the San Bernardino Mountains and our coast range. At San Fernando I found a colony warmly housed in the nest of a Cactus Wren. At that time, (May) it contained thirty individuals.

B. juxtus Cress. Six specimens captured at Seven Oaks and Bear Valley, San Bernardino Mountains.

B. nevadensis Cress. One specimen on Wilson’s Peak.

B. morrisonii Cress. One specimen on the trail to Wilson’s Peak.

Some Observations of Bumblebees in 2001:
90 Years after Anstruther Davidson’s Article

by
Robert ‘Roy’ J. van de Hoek
Sierra Club & Wetlands Action Network
The Yellow-faced Bumblebee, Bombus californicus, 90 years later, still survives in L.A., where open space with nature and native plants are present. It is our belief that the California State Parks is the stewardship agency best situated to manage the open space at the Baldwin Hills, LA River, Ballona Creek, Ballona Wetlands & Lagoon, El Segundo Dunes-LAX Airport, LA River, Chatsworth Reservoir, Placerita, Sepulveda Wildlife Area, Dockweiler Beach, and Chino Hills. We endorse Governor Gray Davis-State Parks to LINK NATURE and BUMBLEBEES. We believe LA City, County Supervisors, and real estate developers should sell or donate land in the above-listed areas to State Parks with genuine interest in environmental education and open space. We ask County Public Works and Army Corps of Engineers to transfer jurisdiction of watershed management and their budget to State Parks.