White-tailed Bumble Bee

The White-tailed Bumble Bee is a common and widespread insect across the British Isles. It can be found in gardens, meadows, hedgerows, and the edges of woodlands from March to October. Workers and queens have a distinctive white tail, but the colour on their middle body section differs. Queens have two yellow bands and a light brownish middle section, while workers usually have brighter yellow bands on a black middle section. Male bees can be recognised by their longer antennae and more yellow hairs on their faces. This species makes its nests underground, often using old rodent burrows. Colonies can grow to about 400 bees. They feed from a wide range of flowering plants, especially liking legumes, thistles, and dead-nettles. The White-tailed Bumble Bee is very similar to two other bumble bee species, which makes it hard to tell them apart without careful examination or genetic testing.