 A bumblebee , also written bumble bee , is a member of the bee genus Bombus , in the family Apidae . The brood parasitic or cuckoo bumblebees have sometimes been classified as a subgenus or genus , Psithyrus , but are now usually treated as members of Bombus . This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini , though a few extinct related genera ( e.g. , Calyptapis ) are known from fossils . Over 250 species of bumblebee are known . They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere , although they are also found in South America where a few lowland tropical species have been identified . European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania . 
