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The garden · Bees, wasps and ants
Red-tailed bumblebee
Bombus lapidarius
A velvety black bumblebee with a bright orange-red tail. Males also have a yellow collar and face.
- Size
- Queens about 2cm long
- Look for it
- March to September
- Where
- Gardens, meadows, verges and chalk downs
My spotter's list
Hums after you, bobbing as it goes. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
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Red-tailed bee
Good to know
Six things about the red-tailed bee
LookEasy to name
Jet black with a fiery tail: it is one of the simplest bumblebees to recognise.
MalesMales wear yellow
The males, which appear in summer, have yellow hairs on the face and a yellow band behind the head.
NestA nest under stones
Its Latin name means stone-dweller. It likes to nest under slabs, in walls and at the foot of banks.
TasteA fan of yellow flowers
It is drawn to yellow, and is often on dandelions, buttercups and bird's-foot trefoil.
ColonyA big family
A strong nest can hold a few hundred workers by midsummer.
HeatIt likes it warm
It is commonest in the south and on warm, open ground, and has spread north as the climate has warmed.
The real thing
Photos of the red-tailed bee
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look on dandelions in spring and on thistles and knapweed in summer. The red tail shows up from several paces away.
Lend a handHow to help
Do not weed out every dandelion. For a hungry queen in April, a lawn full of them is a feast.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
The garden
Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream bugs live on their own page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond and stream
The log pile
After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
