Granddad’s Camera
Buff-tailed bumblebee, as it appears in the game

No.209 · Butterflies, moths and other insects · Common

Buff-tailed bumblebee

Bombus terrestris

A big, furry bumblebee with a dark body, two golden bands and a buff-to-white tail. In mild winters it may be seen in gardens even in January.

When to look

March to October, mostly at day.

Time of day

Best time
Sunny days March–September. Queens from late winter; a small but growing number of colonies stay active through winter in towns.
Where in the game
Millbrook (garden, park, churchyard and farmland)
Status
Common and widespread in England (verify against Bumblebee Conservation Trust before publishing)

Diet

Nectar and pollen from garden flowers, including winter-flowering shrubs; can bite holes in flower bases to steal nectar.

Habitat

Gardens, parks, hedges, farmland; nests in old rodent holes or underground cavities.

Breeding

Queens start colonies in spring. A small proportion of mated queens now begin nests in autumn, exploiting winter forage in gardens and parks (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).

Field signs

  • Large furry bee with yellow bands and a buff or white tail tip
  • Neat small holes at the base of long flower tubes, made by bees robbing nectar
  • Loud, deep buzz as it works flowers

Did you know?

  • In warmer parts of the UK, particularly towns, fully active winter colonies of this bee, with queens and workers, are now regularly recorded, even near freezing or in snow (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).
  • Some workers bite holes in the base of flowers to steal nectar; other bees then use the same hole.
  • A garden with flowers in every month can keep these bees fed through the year.

Moments worth waiting for

  • A bee in January December to February, day
    A large bee bumbles across a mild winter garden, visiting the first flowers on a shrub.

Photo tip

Choose a flower they love (lavender, comfrey, mahonia) and wait; bees move slowly on a cool morning. Use a fast shutter for wing blur and focus on the eye.

Be a good naturalist

Don't disturb nests. Avoid pesticides on flowers, and leave bare soil and long grass for queens to nest.

The law

Not legally protected; all bumblebees are declining as a group so planting for them helps.

Checked against