There are 25 species of bumblebee in Britain, but some are rare or aren't found in Leicestershire and Rutland. The species featured in this guide are those you are most likely to encounter in gardens and general habitats. Bumblebees come in three forms: queens, workers and males, but the images below are those of workers, the most frequently seen. Queens tend to be larger versions of the female worker bees. Amongst workers, size can be very variable so isn't a reliable feature. If you learn to recognise these species, you will be able to identify 90% of the bumblebees you see!
As usual in nature, there are few look-alikes to be aware of! A few bumblebees are 'cuckoos' which take over the nests of other species. To do this they have evolved to look very like the host species. Cuckoo bumblebees tend to have tinted wings and lack the pollen baskets seen on the hind legs of other bumblebees. The most common is the Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee. A few hoverflies mimic bumblebees so check out Volucella bombylans and the Narcissus Bulb Fly. These only have one pair of wings (bees have two pairs) and fly differently when you get your eye in! One other species to mention - the Hairy-footed Flower-bee is a solitary bee seen in spring - the brown males and black females look like very small bumblebees.
Click on any header to visit the NatureSpot page for that species or visit the bumblebee gallery.
Common Carder Bumblebee
This common bumblebee nests in small colonies, usually underground. The furry, orange workers collect pollen and nectar to feed their larvae. The hairy bodies of bumblebees helps to keep them warm and enables them to fly and forage in cool weather.
How to ID: Orange hairs all over (though those on the abdomen wear off exposing the black beneath).
Where to see it: Visiting flowers. Its long tongue allows it to reach into trumpet-shaped blooms that other insects can't reach.
Similar species: The Tree Bumblebee also has orange hairs but has a distinctive white 'tail'.
Tree Bumblebee
A relative newcomer but now quite common. Unlike most other bumblebees which next underground, Tree Bumblebees like to nest in tree cavities but will also use bird boxes and sometimes houses, for example behind soffit boards if accessible.
How to ID: Ginger thorax and a white 'tail'. The abdomen and head are generally black.
Where to see it: Flowers.
Similar species: The Carder Bumblebee lacks the white 'tail'.
Red-tailed Bumblebee
Probably the most easily recognised bumblebee, with its black body and red 'tail'. Queens are large bees and search out underground cavities, such as rodent burrows, to nest in.
How to ID: All black with a bright red 'tail'.
Where to see it: Flowers.
Similar species: None (the Early Bumblebee has an orange 'tail').
Early Bumblebee
The smallest of these featured bumblebees. As the name suggests it completes its lifecycle early in the year and generally disappears after July.
How to ID: Look for the orange 'tail', this is unique to this species. Usually with lemon yellow bands on both the thorax and abdomen but these can be missing.
Where to see it: Flowers.
Similar species: None.
Buff-tailed Bumblebee
The queen is the largest bumblebee likely to visit a garden and usually the first you see each year, often appearing on warm days in February.
How to ID: The queen has a buff-coloured 'tail' and a mustard yellow band on both thorax and abdomen. Workers are more variable and not easily distinguishable from workers of the White-tailed Bumblebee.
Where to see it: Flowers.
Similar species: White-tailed Bumblebee workers.
White-tailed Bumblebee
Less common than the Buff-tailed Bumblebee and appears to be declining locally.
How to ID: Queens have clear white 'tails' but workers less so. The yellow bands are lighter yellow - more lemon than mustard! However White-tailed and Buff-tailed worker bees can be so similar it is often not possible to be sure.
Where to see it: Flowers.
Similar species: Buff-tailed Bumblebee workers.
