Scientific Name: Bombus Lapidarius               Common Name: Red-Tailed Bumblebee 

About:

The Red-Tailed Bumblebee is a social bee that lives in colonies of around 100 individuals. These bees are very useful for the pollination process as they pollinate in temperatures that are much higher than their cousin species of bumblebees.  Unlike many species the female workers of the Red-Tailed Bumblebee are extremely similar in colour to the queen with the main difference being that the queen bee is much larger than the workers.

Key Information:                 

Size: 22mm

Habitat: Grasslands, Woodlands

When to see: May to August

Family: Apidae

Order: Hymenoptera

Biological rank: Species 

Fun Fact: This species is a part of the 'Big 7' meaning that they are one of the most abundant and widespread species across the UK

How to Identify:

The female workers of this species are jet black with a red tail, identical to the queen bee however the queen bee is much bigger in size making it very distinct from the workers. The males of this species are very similar however their tails are often closer to orange than red and they have a yellow collar around their neck.