BBCT Bumblebee Identification Sheet (Big 8)
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Buff-tailed bumblebee Early bumblebee Bombus terrestris Bombus pratorum Has a dirty/golden Queens and yellow collar near the males have head and one on the two strong abdomen. The queen’s yellow bands, tail is an off white/buff but workers often only colour which can sometimes appear have one. The tail is dark orange. The workers have a white orange-red, but fades tail with a subtle buff line over time. The Early separating the tail from the rest of bumblebee is particularly the abdomen. Males have black small. Males have a broad facial hair, as opposed to yellow, yellow collar and yellow and a buff-tinged tail. hair on the face. Male Queen Worker/male Queen Worker White-tailed bumblebee Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lucorum Bombus lapidarius Queens, workers and The queens and males have a yellow workers are band on the thorax and completely black, on the abdomen. On a except for an orange fresh specimen, the tail -red tail. The males look is a bright white and the yellow similar, but have some yellow bands are a bright lemon-yellow hair on the face and thorax. colour. The males have yellow hair Females are distinguished from on their head, and extra tufts of the much rarer Red-shanked yellow hair on the thorax and carder bee by having black hairs abdomen. Male Queen/worker on the hind leg. Male Queen/worker Common carder bee Tree bumblebee Bombus pascuorum Bombus hypnorum Queens, workers and males are Queens, workers and males all have a almost completely brown or black head, brown-ginger thorax, black ginger. However, the shade abdomen with a white tail. The varies significantly, depending proportion of white on the tail does vary on the location. significantly but is always present. This Some have abdomens which are very dark, species was first found in the UK in while the abdomens of others can be quite 2001, but is now found throughout light. It is the only common UK bumblebee most of England and Wales. It prefers that is mostly brown or ginger. to nest above ground, often inhabiting bird boxes. Queen/worker/male Queen/worker/male Garden bumblebee Heath bumblebee Bombus hortorum Bombus jonellus The same pattern is Similar to the Garden shared by queen, worker and male: bumblebee, which also three yellow bands has three yellow (at the front and rear stripes and a white of the thorax and a third band at the front of the tail. However, the face abdomen). The tail is a clean white colour. The of the Heath bumblebee is round and face is distinctly long, differentiating it from the bee is smaller. This species is not other species with similar banding, such as the common everywhere, but can be quite Heath bumblebee. It is a very long tongued common in Ireland and northern species that prefers flowers with deep tubes. Scotland where it has an orange/ buff tail. Despite its name, it is not only Queen/worker/male found in heath habitats. Queen/worker/male .