White-tailed Bumble Bee vs Vestal Cuckoo Bumble bee
Bombus lucorum and Bombus vestalis
White-tailed Bumble Bee
Bombus lucorum
Vestal Cuckoo Bumble bee
Bombus vestalis
Comparison notes
Field marks and practical differences
The White-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lucorum) is a common sight across the UK from March to October, frequenting gardens, meadows, and woodland edges. Workers and queens can be identified by their distinctive white tail and yellow bands, though queens have a light brownish middle section while workers show a black one. Males have longer antennae and more yellow facial hairs. This species nests underground, often in old rodent burrows, and feeds on a variety of flowers including legumes and thistles. However, it closely resembles other bumblebees, making field identification challenging without detailed examination. The Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus vestalis) shares a similar size and white tail but is a parasitic species that invades Buff-tailed Bumblebee nests. Females have yellow bands on their middle and rear segments, resembling their host, while males are harder to distinguish from other cuckoo bumblebees. Found mainly in England, Wales, and southern Scotland, Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees appear later in the season and lack pollen baskets, relying entirely on host workers to rear their young. Observing nesting behaviour and timing can aid in separating these two species in the field.
Size stats
Compare species by wingspan and weight
- Body length
- 1.2 - 2 cm
- Weight
- 0.1 - 0.3 g
- Body length
- 1.2 - 2 cm
- Weight
- 0.1 - 0.3 g
Habitats
Where they live
Diet breakdown
What they eat
- Nectar & pollen100%
- Nectar & pollen90%
- Other Invertebrates10%
Species notes
Descriptions and photographer notes
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.
Vestal Cuckoo Bumble bee
The Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee is a type of bumblebee that lives by taking over the nests of other bumblebees. It does not have pollen baskets or worker bees of its own. Female Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees have a white tail and yellow bands on their middle and back parts, which makes them look very similar to their host species, the Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Male Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees have more yellow bands and can be hard to tell apart from other cuckoo bumblebees. This species tends to have a sturdier body compared to some related species. The Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee is found widely across England, Wales, and southern Scotland, with some records from Ireland. It lives in gardens, hedgerows, meadows, and at the edges of woodlands where the Buff-tailed Bumblebee makes its nests. Female Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees come out later than other bumblebees, usually from May onwards. They look for nests of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee to take over. This species depends completely on the worker bees of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee to raise its young. It produces only bees that can reproduce, not worker bees.