Two more southerly : becoming commoner in the north? Bumblebees of Caithness & Sutherland 1 2

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

monticola www.bumblebeeconservation.org School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, (3) University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA Buff-tailed B. terrestris and Red-tailed Bumblebee B. lapidarius . The very large queens are distinctive. (1) 3 Buff-tailed workers are almost identical to White-tailed workers. (2) ack Red-tailed males look similar to the Blaeberry Bumblebee B. bl s. h a ing wit w , a scarce upland in Caithness & Sutherland—can you w, the llo en iies Ye we pec tell the difference? bet y S d riit ban riio K P Gypsy Cuckoo Bumblebee U Bombus bohemicus Invades the nests of the White-tailed Bumblebee. There are no workers. Cuckoo bumblebees lack the distinctive ‘pollen baskets’ of the other bumblebees. female male

Bumblebee facts The Great Yellow Bumblebee Bombus distinguendus • There are currently 24 bumblebee species in the UK, with was once widespread over the UK, but is now found only in 18 of these in . parts of North and West Scotland. It is present in a few

• The Short-haired Bumblebee was last seen in 1988, and coastal parts of Caithness & Sutherland and is seen

declared extinct in 2000. mainly from June to August.

• Nearly all are declining. Some are now very rare. Have you seen this bee?! Images not to scale • They need flower-rich habitat from spring to autumn. Saving the Sound of Summer! To support our work and help reverse

• You can help in your garden or on your land. bumblebee declines, join the Bumblebee Conservation Trust today!

UK charity number 1115634 Confusing ginger ! Bumblebees with white tails

. iity iior Pr UK es ecii Sp On some (!) extra yellow hairs are present ahead of the main yellow band.

male

Moss Carder Bee Common Carder Bee White-tailed Bumblebee Broken-belted Bumblebee Bombus muscorum Bombus pascuorum Bombus soroeensis Problematic as the Common Carder Found almost everywhere, and Found almost everywhere. Males Another difficult one to identify! bee is very similar, though can be very hard to tell from the Moss have yellow faces and can have two Found on moorland but doesn’t learned with patience and practice! Carder Bee in mainland or several yellow bands. emerge until June. Found on coastal, flower-rich Scotland and often warmer- grassland and on heather moorland. coloured than shown here.

Top tip. Bumblebee queens and workers collect pollen on special face face structures on the hind legs, the ‘pollen baskets’.

These have few hairs, and slope inwards a bit from the edges. male As a result they often Early Bumblebee Garden Bumblebee Heath Bumblebee look black and shiny— Bombus pratorum Bombus hortorum Bombus jonellus easier to see the bigger A small bumblebee, often common in the bee! - Short, round face -Long face gardens. Workers can be tiny and - Short tongue -Very long tongue! have the second yellow band missing. Watch out for The bright males are one of the bumblebees collecting N.B. Be careful when catching bumblebees for a closer look. Queen and first to be seen (from June). pollen today! worker bumblebees can sting, but rarely do unless handled roughly or disturbed at the nest.