The state of Illinois has chosen its official state bird, fish and a host of other creatures, and now the state has an official bee.
Under provisions of House Bill 4438, which was passed at the end of the General Assembly spring session, the state’s official bee has been chosen, and the black and gold bumblebee has been awarded that honor.
A group of eighth graders from Naperville’s Lincoln Junior High School helped spearhead the push to name the official state bee, creating a presentation for lawmakers according to officials.
According to the University of Wisconsin, the worker bees of the species are among the largest bumblebees, measuring up to a half-inch in length. Queen bumblebees can be up to an inch long, and the insects make an extremely loud and distinctive noise.
The bumblebee is typically “associated with prairies and other grasslands” according to the state of Missouri, and unlike other species of bees where hundreds of worker bees serve a queen, colonies of the black and gold bumblebee are much smaller, with only a few dozen bees present in each hive.
Like most bees, the black and gold bumblebee is considered a key pollinator and they love clovers, St. John’s worts and thoroughworts, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
In recent years, a variety of bills have passed designating official items and creatures for the state of Illinois. That list includes the soybean, which was designated as Illinois’ State Bean last year. The giant puffball was designated the official State Fungus in 2024, and dolostone was chosen as the State Rock in 2022.
Illinois even has an official state snake (the eastern milksnake) and an official state soil (drummer silty clay loam).
You can find more information on those designations on the state’s website.
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