{"id":22966,"date":"2026-07-13T11:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/?p=22966"},"modified":"2026-07-13T11:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:19:10","slug":"illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois Officially Recognizes the Black and Gold Bumblebee as State Bee"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Black
Source: ChatGPT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Illinois has officially designated the Black and Gold Bumblebee (<\/span>Bombus auricomus<\/span><\/i>) as the state’s first official State Bee after Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill (HB) 4438 into law on July 8, 2026. The new designation recognizes the native bee’s vital role in pollinating prairie plants and supporting Illinois’ agriculture and ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Designation Details\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Official State Bee:<\/b> Black and Gold Bumblebee (<\/span>Bombus auricomus<\/span><\/i>)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • State:<\/b> Illinois<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Law:<\/b> House Bill 4438 (HB 4438)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Signed by:<\/b> Governor JB Pritzker<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Signed into law:<\/b> July 8, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Status:<\/b> Illinois’ first official state bee<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Effective date:<\/b> January 1, 2027<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Why Was This Bee Chosen?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    The Black and Gold Bumblebee is native to Illinois and much of North America. It pollinates prairie wildflowers and many types of agricultural crops. It helps maintain healthy ecosystems and supports biodiversity. This bee is commonly found in prairies, grasslands, and open fields across Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Student-Led Campaign<\/b><\/h2>\n

    One of the most remarkable aspects of this designation is that the initiative came from students. Eighth-grade students from Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville launched the campaign. Their science teacher, Barbara Bell, assigned a project on native Illinois bees. Students researched bee species, created presentations, organized a statewide student vote, and testified before lawmakers. Their year-long civic engagement campaign ultimately led to the passage of the bill into law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Physical Characteristics and Habitat<\/b><\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Scientific name:<\/b> Bombus auricomus<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
    • Worker bees can grow up to \u00bd inch (1.3 cm) long.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Queens may reach 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It is known for its loud buzzing sound and striking black-and-gold coloring.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It builds underground nests in grasslands.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It feeds on nectar and pollen from clovers, bee balm, St. John’s wort, and other native wildflowers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Illinois’ Growing List of State Symbols\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

      The new state bee joins several other official Illinois symbols, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • State Bird: Northern Cardinal<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State Insect: Monarch Butterfly<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State Animal: White-tailed Deer<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State Rock: Dolostone<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State Fungus: Giant Puffball<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State Bean: Soybean<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Beginning January 1, 2027, the Black and Gold Bumblebee will officially join Illinois’ collection of official state symbols.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
        Disclaimer:\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Indian Eagle claims no credit for the images featured on its blog site. All the visual content is copyrighted to its respective owners only. We mention the source name of the image whenever possible and found. However, if we miss acknowledging the owner\u2019s source, please contact us. In case, owners don\u2019t want us to use their images, we will remove them promptly. We believe in providing proper attribution to the original author, artist, and photographer.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Illinois has officially designated the Black and Gold Bumblebee (Bombus auricomus) as the state’s first official State Bee after Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill (HB) 4438 into law on July 8, 2026. The new designation recognizes the native bee’s vital role in pollinating prairie plants and supporting Illinois’ agriculture and ecosystems.\u00a0 Designation Details\u00a0 Official […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,4],"tags":[8583,8581,8582,8585,8584],"class_list":["post-22966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-united-states","tag-agricultural-crops","tag-black-and-gold-bumblebee","tag-first-official-bee","tag-illinois-state-bee","tag-official-illinois-symbols"],"yoast_head":"\nIllinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Illinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Travel Blog | Travel Inspiration, Tips and News | Travel Diary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IETravelDiary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"IE Author\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TravelDiary5\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TravelDiary5\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"IE Author\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/\",\"name\":\"Illinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/4ac4636b30829744eee43a63ebaf16aa\"},\"description\":\"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533,\"caption\":\"Source: ChatGPT\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Illinois Officially Recognizes the Black and Gold Bumblebee as State Bee\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/\",\"name\":\"Travel Diary\",\"description\":\"Don\u2019t be a Tourist, be a Traveler\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/4ac4636b30829744eee43a63ebaf16aa\",\"name\":\"IE Author\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17c0bccdc62ce9a0424781d940d3a6323dfe54cc7d0f3d88a48f3d53b225546?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17c0bccdc62ce9a0424781d940d3a6323dfe54cc7d0f3d88a48f3d53b225546?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"IE Author\"},\"description\":\"Travel Diary authors are experienced professionals who deliver the latest travel news, engaging blogs & detailed guides. We provide readers with precise information directly from the travel & aviation sectors. Our content offers industry-level insights that reach millions of readers worldwide. For any queries or concerns, reach us at teamseo@indianeagle.com\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/author\/sreekanth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Illinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee","description":"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Illinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee","og_description":"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/","og_site_name":"Travel Blog | Travel Inspiration, Tips and News | Travel Diary","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IETravelDiary\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"IE Author","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TravelDiary5","twitter_site":"@TravelDiary5","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"IE Author","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/","url":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/","name":"Illinois Names Black and Gold Bumblebee State Bee","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png","datePublished":"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-13T06:19:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/4ac4636b30829744eee43a63ebaf16aa"},"description":"Illinois names the Black and Gold Bumblebee its official State Bee, recognizing the native pollinator's vital role in nature and conservation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/tds.indianeagle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Black-and-Gold-Bumblebee.png","width":800,"height":533,"caption":"Source: ChatGPT"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/illinois-state-bee-black-and-gold-bumblebee\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Illinois Officially Recognizes the Black and Gold Bumblebee as State Bee"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/","name":"Travel Diary","description":"Don\u2019t be a Tourist, be a Traveler","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/4ac4636b30829744eee43a63ebaf16aa","name":"IE Author","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17c0bccdc62ce9a0424781d940d3a6323dfe54cc7d0f3d88a48f3d53b225546?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17c0bccdc62ce9a0424781d940d3a6323dfe54cc7d0f3d88a48f3d53b225546?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"IE Author"},"description":"Travel Diary authors are experienced professionals who deliver the latest travel news, engaging blogs & detailed guides. We provide readers with precise information directly from the travel & aviation sectors. Our content offers industry-level insights that reach millions of readers worldwide. For any queries or concerns, reach us at teamseo@indianeagle.com","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/author\/sreekanth\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22968,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22966\/revisions\/22968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}