What`s that bumblebee…? - Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Field identification
guide to the UK’s
bumblebees.
What’s that
bumblebee…?
bumblebeeconservation.org
Bumblebees are large, hairy and colourful, with a distinctive
bumbling flight and constant buzz. You can easily identify
bumblebees by following these simple steps.
Is it a social bumblebee
or a cuckoo bumblebee?
Yes = Social bumblebee
White
White-tailed bumblebee.
Buff–tailed bumblebee.
Garden bumblebee.
No = Cuckoo bumblebee
Cuckoo male
Social male
Cuckoo female
Does it have pollen baskets
on its back legs?
Social female
What colour tail does
it have? Which common
social species could it be...
The pollen baskets are the shiny
area at the top of the back legs.
Is it a male or female?
❶ Females: queens and workers.
These have shorter, often elbowed
antennae and their tails end in a point.
They are often ‘busy’ and may be
carrying pollen in their baskets.
Note: Queens and workers are both
female, but queens are much larger.
Buff/Ginger
Common carder bee.
Buff-tailed bumblebee.
Red
Red-tailed bumblebee.
Early bumblebee.
Look closely. What
coloured bands does it
have and where are they?
See if the descriptions of the
common bumblebees match
with the bumblebee you’ve seen.
Be aware that the colours can fade
by late summer.
If you’re sure it’s not there, check
if it could be a rarer species.
Thorax
Antenna
❷ Males: These have longer, curved
antennae and their tails are blunt (best
viewed from below). They may be less
active – perhaps just lazing around!
❶
Wings
❷
Abdomen
Pollen basket
(females only)
Sting
(females only)
Common bumblebees
Queen
Queen Male/
Worker
Male
White-tailed bumblebee
Bombus lucorum
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Bombus terrestris
A common bee, distinguished from
the similar Buff-tailed bumblebee by
a pure-white tail and two lemon
yellow bands. Males have a yellow
face. The queen and workers do not
have a yellow band at the bottom
of the thorax (if yours does, try the
Garden bumblebee).
Queens and males usually have
buff tails but workers’ tails are largely
white, usually with a hint of buff
at the front margin. Yellow bands
slightly darker/dirtier than in the
White-tailed bumblebee.
Face
Queen
Queen
Worker
Garden bumblebee
Bombus hortorum
Early bumblebee
Bombus pratorum
A very long-tongued species with a
white tail and yellow bands, including
one at the rear of the thorax. Has a
longer ‘horse-like’ face than the smaller
Heath bumblebee (view from front).
A common small bee with an
orangey-red tail. Has one or two
yellow bands and males have a
yellow face. Rarely seen after July.
Map key
Bee present
Bee not found
Queen
Queen
Male
Common carder bee
Bombus pascuorum
Red-tailed bumblebee
Bombus lapidarius
The only common brown
bumblebee. Some forms have
a very dark abdomen, but others
are very light and similar to rarer
carder bees.
Females are all black, with a red tail.
Males have yellow hair on the face
and a yellow band at the front of
the thorax.
Face
Queen
Queen
Heath bumblebee
Bombus jonellus
Tree bumblebee
Bombus hypnorum
Widespread on heaths, moors and
sometimes in gardens. Short face
compared to the Garden bumblebee
which shares the same pattern. The
males have a yellow face, unlike the
Garden bumblebee.
Recent immigrant from France.
Unique brown, black and white
colour pattern.
Cuckoo bumblebees
Cuckoo bumblebees have dusky
wings and hairy legs with no pollen
baskets. There are no workers
because females invade nests of
social bumblebees often killing the
queen and using the workers to raise
their own young.
Female
Male
Identifying some cuckoo
bumblebees is very difficult and it
is necessary to look at specialised
features to be sure – please visit
bumblebeeconservation.org
for more information.
Female
Field cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus campestris
Red-tailed cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus rupestris
Female tail yellowish. Males vary
from all black to almost all yellow.
Cannot be mistaken with other
cuckoo bees.
Female
Male
Gypsy cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus bohemicus
Southern cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus vestalis
Lemon bands on thorax and faint
yellow margin between white tail
and rest of abdomen.
Golden bands on thorax and strong
yellow margins between white tail
and abdomen.
Female
Female
Barbut’s cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus barbutellus
Forest cuckoo bumblebee
Bombus sylvestris
Yellow hairs on front and back
of thorax. White tail with black
tip in males.
Females with white tails with a
central black notch. Males have
a black and red tip to the tail.
Rarer bumblebees
Here are the rare bumblebees to
watch out for, seven of which are
UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority
species as they have suffered
dramatic declines. Most rare
bumblebees are unlikely to be seen
before May and many are tricky to
distinguish from commoner species,
so you will need to look carefully.
Some species can only be identified
for certain under a microscope!
Visit bumblebeeconservation.org
for more information on how to be
certain you have found a rare one!
Queen
Queen
Blaeberry bumblebee
Bombus monticola
Broken-belted bumblebee
Bombus soroeensis
Mainly upland species with bright
orange-red covering most of
abdomen, not just the tail.
Similar to Buff or White-tailed, but
generally smaller. The yellow band
on the abdomen widens at each side
of the ‘waist’, unlike straight bands
of the similar Buff and White-tailed.
Often a thin red/buff band bordering
the white tail.
Queen
Queen
Brown-banded carder bee
Bombus humilis
Moss carder bee
Bombus muscorum
Mostly yellow or chestnut, but
with a brown band near the front
of the abdomen. No black hairs on
abdomen and few on thorax.
Similar to other carder bees but with
no black hairs on thorax or abdomen.
Queen Queen Queen
Queen
Ruderal bumblebee
Bombus ruderatus
Red-shanked carder bee
Bombus ruderarius
Very long face and tongue. Queens
very large. Variable colour patterns.
Similar to Red-tailed but pollen
basket hairs on females are red,
not black.
Queen
Queen
Shrill carder bee
Bombus sylvarum
Great yellow bumblebee
Bombus distinguendus
One of the two rarest bumblebees
in the UK. A relatively small bee
with a noticeably high-pitched buzz.
Mainly straw-coloured with an
orangey tail and dark band in the
middle of the thorax.
Now found only in north and
west Scotland. Mustard yellow
bumblebee with a band of black
hair across the thorax between the
wings. Late emerging, mainly seen
between June and August.
Now extinct
Short-haired bumblebee
Bombus subterraneus
Queen
Sadly extinct in the UK but we are
part of a partnership that is working
to reintroduce it from healthy
populations elsewhere. Two yellow
bands on the thorax, with the front
band always thicker than the second
band. Also two faint yellow stripes
on the abdomen and a white tail.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Who are we and what do we do?
Why have bumblebees declined?
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust
aims to help bumblebees across
the UK by raising public and political
awareness as well as promoting
bumblebee-friendly land management
and gardening. Visit our website for
more information on the types of
plants that would be best suited to
your patch of land.
Unfortunately almost all of our native
bumblebees are now thought to be in
decline, largely due to the loss of over
97% of our flower-rich grasslands.
Two bumblebee species have already
become nationally extinct while many
others are of conservation concern.
Why conserve bumblebees?
Bumblebees are endearing and
familiar garden insects – the sight
and sound of summer. They are also
very important pollinators of many
of our wildflowers and crops. Their
pollination of crops is worth many
millions to the UK economy.
Sadly, bumblebees are struggling
to survive. They urgently need
flower-rich areas in a modern world
of habitat loss. Further bumblebee
declines could result in poorer
harvests and sweeping changes to
the countryside as wildflowers set
less seed and disappear. This would
have catastrophic knock-on effects
for other wildlife.
Help us to find out more about
our bumblebees!
Help us by taking part in one of our
bumblebee recording schemes.
For more information please visit:
bumblebeeconservation.org
Join today!
Join the Bumblebee Conservation
Trust and help us to conserve
bumblebees across the UK!
As a member you’ll receive a
welcome pack full of goodies
and regular updates on our work.
For more information on the
fascinating lives of bumblebees
or how you can join please visit:
bumblebeeconservation.org
With thanks to:
With the support of
The Redwing Trust
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust registered
charity number 1115634 (Scotland SC042830).
Design: red-stone.com