Details
Bombus terrestris
The buff-tailed bumblebee is a social bumblebee with a round hairy body and pale tail. It is an important pollinator of grassland, woodland edge, gardens, and crops.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occupies grassland, woodland, and urban greenspace in the Palearctic. Nests are often made in old burrows or grassy cavities.
Length 1.1-2.2 cm; weight 0.1 g-0.85 g. The black body has yellow bands and a buff to whitish tail. Dense hair helps retain heat and carries pollen.
Diurnal and colonial, it lives in nests with a queen and workers. Workers patrol flowers and can buzz-pollinate blossoms by vibration.
A nectarivore, adults use nectar for energy and collect pollen to feed larvae. They visit many wildflowers and crops.
An overwintered queen founds a nest in spring, and workers build the colony through summer. New queens and males are produced late in the season, and mated queens overwinter.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
