Early Bumblebee
Garden BumbleBee
Common Carder Bee
Buff Tailied Bumblebee
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Large bumblebee, which is often the first species to emerge each year
- All bees have a golden-yellow collar behind the head and on the abdomen
- Queen's tail is an off-white/buff
- In workers the tail is white with a small buff line where it joins the black abdomen
- Males have a black face and buff tail
Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Can be seen late in the year, often into November
- All bees are almost completely brown or ginger
- The only common bumblebee that is this uniform colour
- But shade can vary - some have dark abdomens, some have light
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Relatively small, short-lived species often nest in tit boxes
- All bees have yellow bands on the thorax and abdomen
- But abdominal band is much less obvious in workers
- Dark orange-red tail that may fade with time and can be hard to see when moving
- Males have a yellow face and wide yellow collar
Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Reputation for nesting in 'unsuitable' places such as inside lawn mowers and buckets
- All bees have clean white tail and three yellow bands - at front and rear of thorax and on the - abdomen
- Very long face
- Has the longest tongue of any UK species so prefers flowers with deep tubes
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Workers can be very small, similar to a house fly
- Queen and workers have a distinctive black body and orange-red tail
- Males have a yellow face and yellow band on the thorax
- Prefer flowers with a distinct landing platform such as dandelions and daises
White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
- All bees have lemon-yellow bands on the thorax and abdomen and a bright white tail
- Males have extra yellow hairs on the head, thorax and abdomen
- Workers are extremely difficult to distinguish from buff-tailed bumblebee workers
- Short tongues, so will bite a hole in the corolla of deeper flowers in order to reach the nectar inside
Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
In the last ten years a new species of bumblebee has spread from Europe throughout England. First found in the UK in 2001, the Tree Bumblebee can now be a common sight in gardens. It is easily identified by its black head and abdomen, brown-ginger thorax and white tail. Giving them their common name, tree bumblebees prefer to nest above ground in holes in trees and will often use empty bird boxes.