Belongs to: bumblebees
Compare with: red-shanked bumblebee
bumblebee hoverfly
Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Best time to see: Apr to end Aug
Key facts
A large bumblebee with a red tail, common throughout Britain except for the far north
Found in a wide range of both cultivated and uncultivated habitat, including public parks, gardens and hedgerows
Recognition
Queens are mainly black apart from their red tail; workers are similar but smaller, sometimes tiny
Males usually have a single yellow band on the collar and a tuft of yellow hairs on the face
Lifecycle
Usually nest underground at the end of a long tunnel, sometimes in walls
Colonies build up to a peak in July/August and are usually in decline by the end of August
Queens typically hibernate in woodland, emerging in spring to build themselves up and then search for a nest-site
© Tony Gunton
© Tony Gunton