HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Aculeata > APOIDEA > Apidae

The large queens of this familiar and distinctive short-tongued species are velvety jet-black when fresh with a deep crimson tail, with the 'pollen baskets' on the hind legs fringed with black hairs. Workers are similar, but smaller and slightly fluffier-looking. The males however, look very different having a yellow collar and yellow hairs on both the top of the head and the face, coupled with a paler orange-red tail, and orange hairs on the hind tibiae. Both the workers and the males fade with age, which can cause difficulty with identification.

Queens are among the first bumblebees to appear in spring, visiting a variety of flowers and blossoms. Workers usually appear in early May with the small males following a few weeks later. Nesting typically occurs underground in old mammal burrows and other cavities, though it will sometimes nest in piles of rubble or amongst items in sheds and outhouses.

This is definitely a species where I need more photos, particularly of a male.