Field identification guide to the UK s bumblebees. What s that bumblebee? bumblebeeconservation.org

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? Does it have pollen baskets on its back legs? Social female Yes = Social bumblebee No = Cuckoo bumblebee Social male Cuckoo female The pollen baskets are the shiny area at the top of the back legs. Is it a male or female? Cuckoo male ❶ s: 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: s and workers are both female, but queens are much larger. 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 ❷ What colour tail does it have? Which common social species could it be... White White-tailed bumblebee. Buff tailed bumblebee. Garden bumblebee. Buff/Ginger Common carder bee. Buff-tailed bumblebee. Red Red-tailed bumblebee. Early bumblebee. Thorax Abdomen 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. Antenna Wings Pollen basket (females only) Sting (females only)

Common bumblebees Male Male/ Worker White-tailed bumblebee Bombus lucorum 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). Buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris s 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 Worker Garden bumblebee Bombus hortorum 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). Early bumblebee Bombus pratorum 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

Male Common carder bee Bombus pascuorum The only common brown bumblebee. Some forms have a very dark abdomen, but others are very light and similar to rarer carder bees. Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius s 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 Heath bumblebee Bombus jonellus 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. Tree bumblebee Bombus hypnorum 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. 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. Field cuckoo bumblebee Bombus campestris tail yellowish. Males vary from all black to almost all yellow. Male Red-tailed cuckoo bumblebee Bombus rupestris Cannot be mistaken with other cuckoo bees. Male Gypsy cuckoo bumblebee Bombus bohemicus Lemon bands on thorax and faint yellow margin between white tail and rest of abdomen. Southern cuckoo bumblebee Bombus vestalis Golden bands on thorax and strong yellow margins between white tail and abdomen. Barbut s cuckoo bumblebee Bombus barbutellus Yellow hairs on front and back of thorax. White tail with black tip in males. Forest cuckoo bumblebee Bombus sylvestris s 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! Blaeberry bumblebee Bombus monticola Mainly upland species with bright orange-red covering most of abdomen, not just the tail. Broken-belted bumblebee Bombus soroeensis 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. Brown-banded carder bee Bombus humilis Mostly yellow or chestnut, but with a brown band near the front of the abdomen. No black hairs on abdomen and few on thorax. Moss carder bee Bombus muscorum Similar to other carder bees but with no black hairs on thorax or abdomen.

Ruderal bumblebee Bombus ruderatus Very long face and tongue. s very large. Variable colour patterns. Red-shanked carder bee Bombus ruderarius Similar to Red-tailed but pollen basket hairs on females are red, not black. Shrill carder bee Bombus sylvarum 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. Great yellow bumblebee Bombus distinguendus 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 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? 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. 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. Why have bumblebees declined? 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. 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