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Tree bumblebee

Bombus hypnorum

Basic Information

Common name: Tree bumblebee
Scientific name: Bombus hypnorum

Ginger thorax, white tail.

England, Wales, moving into Scotland.

Classification

Bee TypeBumblebee
StatusCommon
Cuckoo StatusNon-cuckoo
DistributionWidespread
Tail ColourWhite Tail

Keynotes

  • Has black form but always has white tail

  • Nest high up and large groups of males fly around nest entrance

  • Queens can hibernate in dead wood

  • Not keen on large, wide-open habitats

  • First recorded in UK in 2001; now widespread

Nest Information

  • Aerial: in trees, bird boxes, roofs, house eaves; occasionally underground

  • 2 cycles per year

  • Medium: around 150 workers

Distribution

  • England, Wales, becoming common in Scotland

  • Habitat: gardens, allotments, woodland, brambly grasslands

Castes

QUEEN

February
QUEEN diagram
No Photo

  1. Black

  2. Ginger

  3. Black

  4. White

Tail:White Tail
Thorax:All Ginger, All Black
Abdomen:Black / White Tail
Head:Black Head

WORKER

March
WORKER diagram
No Photo

  1. Black

  2. Ginger

  3. Black

  4. White

Tail:White Tail
Thorax:All Ginger, All Black
Abdomen:Black / White Tail
Head:Black Head

MALE

May
MALE diagram
No Photo

  1. Black

  2. Ginger

  3. Black

  4. White

Tail:White Tail
Thorax:All Ginger, All Black
Abdomen:Black / White Tail
Head:Black Head

Flower Preferences

Short tongue. Likes brambles and open roses.

  • Blackthorn

  • Grape hyacinth

  • Pyracantha

  • Raspberries

  • Sallow

  • Teasel

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Brambles

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Ceanothus

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Roses