Buff-tailed bumble bee - Bombus terrestris - Family: Apidae

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Buff-tailed bumble bee - Bombus terrestris
© Bob Gibbons

This is a widespread and common bumble bee. The large, conspicuous overwintered queens are often among the first bumble bees to appear in spring, often occurring in late February/early March. Nectar sources are scarce at this time. They are black with a dull yellow band just in front of the wings, and another across the middle of the body. The abdomen of the queen is buff coloured, but workers are very similar to white-tailed bumble bees. This species nests below ground.

Only the young fertilised queens survive the winter, having hibernated in a protected place such as a hole or under moss. They emerge in spring, each queen starting up her own colony or taking over an existing colony. The queen makes pots of wax and pollen into which the first eggs are laid. After about three weeks, the first infertile female workers emerge and take over the nectar and pollen gathering and cell building, while the queen concentrates on egg laying. The larvae are reared on pollen and nectar. The males appear in summer and towards the end of this season, both male and female bumble bees fly out and mate. Males are not allowed to re-enter the nest after mating and soon die. The fertilised queen will then start searching for a safe place to hibernate but both the workers and the old queen die with the first frosts or spell of cold weather.

A free leaflet, 'Help save the Bumblebee ... get more buzz from your garden', is available from English Nature or the National Trust.

Food

Nectar and pollen.

Plants

Bell heather, Bloody crane's-bill, Borage, Broom, Bugle, Butterfly bush, Cardoon, Columbine, Common comfrey, Common figwort, Common toadflax, Crocus, Cross-leaved heath, Dead-nettle, Dropwort, Escallonia, False dittany, Foxglove, Geranium, Globe thistle, Gorse, Harebell, Hazel, Hebe, Herb-Robert, Himalayan honeysuckle, Honeywort, Ice plant, Jerusalem sage, Lesser celandine, Meadow crane's-bill, Monk's-hood, Myrtle, Nectaroscordium siculum, Onion, Pincushion flower, Purple-loosestrife, Ragged-robin, Rock crane's-bill, Sainfoin, Scorpion weed, Sea-holly, Snapdragon, Spurge-laurel, Sweet scabious, Teasel, Viper's-bugloss, Virginia creeper, Water figwort, White stonecrop, Wood crane's-bill, Woolly lamb's ear, Yellow-rattle

Predators

Badger, Wood mouse, Yellow-necked mouse