Basic Information
Common name: Great yellow bumblebee
Scientific name: Bombus distinguendus
Big, fluffy yellow bee.
Classification
Bee TypeBumblebee
StatusRare
Cuckoo StatusNon-cuckoo
DistributionLocalised
Tail ColourYellow Tail
Keynotes
Very rare
Nest Information
Underground; like old rodent nests
One cycle per year
Lasts 4 - 5 months
Around 50 - 80 workers
Distribution
- Very rare
- Only found in Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney and Hebrides
- Flower-rich grasslands
Castes
QUEEN
May
No Photo
Yellow collar
Yellow rear band
All yellow abdomen
WORKER
June
No Photo
Yellow collar
Yellow rear band
All yellow abdomen
MALE
August
No Photo
Yellow collar
Yellow rear band
All yellow abdomen
Flower Preferences
Likes machair grasslands and wild flower meadows
- Bird's-foot trefoils
- Black knapweed
- Red clover
- Vetches