03/05/2019 Bumblebee Identification – Entry level What is a bumblebee? — Furry — Fat, round, large — Buzzing — Pollen baskets (females only) — Stripes are on hair, not exoskeleton underneath Wanna-bees! Wanna-bees! Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax Hover fly Merodon equestris Tachinid Fly, Tachina ursina Bee Fly Bombylius major Size Getting started • Not very useful for bumblebees! — Start with queens in spring • 10-25mm long • Queens biggest — Good chance to become familiar with common species • Workers, males c. 2/3rds queen size — few, if any workers • Size varies with nutrition — no males — Generally don’t vary much, and are relatively fresh and unworn 1 03/05/2019 Queens Workers • Queens from late Feb-March till Sept/Oct • Workers are usually smaller versions of the queens — Biggest bees — Often slow-flying, investigating holes or crawling through vegetation Workers Workers • Workers are usually smaller versions of the queens • Workers are usually smaller versions of the queens — Separating Buff-tailed and White-tailed workers is not easy so — Early bumblebee workers have a reduced or absent abdominal band we can record workers of these as being: Buff-tailed/white-tailed Abdominal band present Band is missing Early bumblebee queen Early bumblebee worker Buff-tailed worker White-tailed worker Males Males • Males from late May/June for some early species, or in early years Extent of yellow varies a lot even in a single species — Often have more pronounced facial hair than females —Often yellow (esp: red-tailed, early, heath and white-tailed White-tailed males bumbles) — Appear more yellow and ‘scruffy’ – furry & fuzzy —Extent of yellow varies a lot even in a single species 2 03/05/2019 Cuckoo bumblebees Cuckoo bumblebees — Sub-genus Psithyrus — Dark appearance – females of most species have only one well-defined band, near the head — No pollen baskets — Sometimes have very dark wings — Some species have a ‘notch’ in the white of the tail — Sparse hairs — All short-tongued ♀ bumblebee ♂ bumblebee ♀ cuckoo ♂ cuckoo Cuckoo bumblebees Getting started Red-tailed cuckoo Forest cuckoo Bombus rupestris ♀ Southern cuckoo ♀ ♂ ♂ Bombus sylvestris Bombus vestalis ♀ ♂ ♀ ♀ ♂ ♀ ♂ ♂ ♂ melanic Gypsy cuckoo Field cuckoo Barbut’s cuckoo Bombus bohemicus Bombus campestris Bombus barbutellus Getting started Tail colour —Also look at extent and position of colouration Facial Legs hair Banding Antennae Tail colour Bumblebee (Behaviour) ID 3 03/05/2019 Banding Faces — Surprisingly easy to see the hair colour on bumblebee faces — Can be useful in separating males and —Position females: — Males of 4 of the 8 commonest species have yellow faces when the females have black faces — Face shape is useful to separate some species —Strength Legs Legs — Only female social bumbles (not cuckoos) will carry pollen loads — Not always carrying pollen – look closely at hind leg for pollen basket Antennae Behaviour — Females have short, 12-segemented — Useful for separating male and female social bumblebees & cuckoos antennae — Female social bumblebees (queens & workers) tend to always be — Males have long, 13-segmented working antennae — Queens will fly low when looking for nests — Males & cuckoos often lazily feed on flowers, slowly drinking nectar and not flying very much Male Female 4 03/05/2019 The Big 8: Common & widespread bumblebees Bumblebee groups White-tailed bumblebee, Early bumblebee, Tree bumblebee, Ginger bees Red-tailed bees White-tailed bees Bombus pratorum Bombus lucorum Buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris Bombus hypnorum Common B. pascuorum B. lapidarius B. lucorum* B. pratorum B. terrestris Queen, Queen, Male B. hypnorum worker worker Male Queen, Queen B. jonellus worker, male B. hortorum Worker & male Scarce / rare B. muscorum B. monticola B. ruderatus Heath bumblebee, B. humilis B. ruderarius B. soroeensis Bombus jonellus Red-tailed bumblebee, B. distinguendus B. sylvarum B. subterraneus Bombus lapidarius Common carder bee, Bombus B. cryptarum* Garden bumblebee, pascuorum Bombus hortorum B. magnus* Cuckoos B.campestris B. rupestris B. vestalis Queen Queen, B. bohemicus Queen, worker, worker, B. barbutellus male male B. sylvestris Male * Cryptic species in the B. lucorum complex Ginger bees - common Common Carder, Bombus pascuorum • All-ginger • Black abdominal hairs Ginger • Cream thorax sides (uniform-tailed) • Males yellower bumblebees 1 common 3 scarce 1 cuckoo SIMILAR: B. muscorum, B. humilis, B. distinguendus, B. campestris Red-tailed bumblebees Early bumblebee Red-tailed B. pratorum bumblebees Red-tailed bumblebee B. lapidarius 2 common 3 scarce 1 cuckoo BEWARE: B. monticola, B. ruderarius, B. sylvarum, B. rupestris 5 03/05/2019 Red-tailed bees - common Red-tailed bees - common Early bumblebee, Bombus pratorum Red-tailed bumblebee, Bombus lapidarius • Only common yellow-banded, red-tailed females • Elongate species • Males have a yellow face • Males have a yellow face • Worker often loses abdominal band • Tail red, up to half the abdomen • Tail often small, pale • Female corbicula hairs black SIMILAR: B. ruderarius, B. monticola, B. sylvarum, B. rupestris SIMILAR: B. ruderarius, B. monticola, B. sylvarum, B. rupestris White-tailed bumblebees (two yellow bands) White-tailed bumblebee White-tailed B. lucorum (agg.) bumblebees (two yellow bands) Buff-tailed bumblebee B. terrestris 2 common 3 scarce 3 cuckoo BEWARE: B. soroeensis, B. subterraneus, B. vestalis, B. bohemicus, B. sylvestris White-tailed bees - common White-tailed bees - common Buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris White-tailed bumblebee, Bombus lucorum s.s. • Queens buff-tailed • No yellow hairs in tail • Workers & males white-tailed • Males have a yellow face • Sometimes thin yellow band at tail top • Queens identifiable; males maybe • Workers often impossible SIMILAR: B. soroeensis, B. lucorum agg., B. vestalis, B. bohemicus SIMILAR: B. soroeensis, B. terrestris, B. vestalis, B. bohemicus 6 03/05/2019 White-tailed bumblebees (three + yellow bands) Garden bumblebee White-tailed B. hortorum bumblebees (three+ yellow bands) Heath bumblebee B. jonellus 2 common 2 scarce 1 cuckoo BEWARE: B. ruderatus, B. sylvestris, B. bohemicus, B. barbutellus, B. subterraneus White-tailed bees - common White-tailed bees - common Garden bumblebee, Bombus hortorum Heath bumblebee, Bombus jonellus • Bulky, very long tongue • Strong association with heaths • Long face • Males have a yellow face • Pure white tail • Smaller, longer-haired than hortorum • Very yellow appearance • Round face • Occasional semi-melanics SIMILAR: B. ruderatus, B. jonellus, B. bohemicus, B. barbutellus SIMILAR: B. ruderatus, B. hortorum, B. bohemicus, B. barbutellus White-tailed bees - common Tree bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum • New to Britain 2001 • Black thorax sides White-tailed • Dark-thorax colour form common • T1&2 sometimes ginger • Tail always white (even melanics) bumblebees • Spreading northwards (ginger thorax) 1 common 0 scarce 0 cuckoo SIMILAR: worn B. pascuorum 7 03/05/2019 www.beewalk.org.uk/node/11 Field kit ID guides & further reading Gammans, Comont & Perkins (2018). Bumblebees: An • Nets (Watkins and Doncaster) Introduction. Biddles Edwards, M and Jenner, M. (2009) Field Guide to • Hand lens - x10 or x20 the Bumblebees of Great Britain & Ireland. Ocelli Limited Prys-Jones, O.E and Corbet, S.A (2011) Bumblebees (Naturalists’ • Sample tubes Handbook). Pelagic Publishing Falk, S. and Lewington, R. (2015) Field guide to the bees of Great • Queen marker cages (Thornes or W&D) Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury • ID book Comont, R. (2017) RSPB Spotlight: Bumblebees. Bloomsbury 8.