Berwick Wildlife Group

Bombus terrestris – the Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

Queens large with buff tails. Workers and drones both have white tails with a touch of buff near the black, all have dark yellow striped thorax and abdomen. Large fat bees.
.	B. terrestris worker – rather damp, with collected pollen on hairs on leg ("pollen basket").	B. terrestris male (drone). No pollen basket, thinner "shin", longer antennae, not busy!

Bombus hortorum – the Garden Bumblebee

A large and very long bee, usually scruffy-looking with a stripey white bum, and a stripe of yellow hair at the base of the thorax as well as the top of abdomen. It has a very long tongue, and can cope with long flowers, like honeysuckle.
.	A B. hortorum worker using it's long tongue on honeysuckle.	A B. hortorum drone showing off it's smooth slender tibia (shin) and long antennae.

Bombus lapidarius – Red-tailed Bumblebee

Common and females quite easy to recognise (similar species rare and southern).
.	A B. lapidarius worker all black with red tail. Note pollen storage hairs on lower leg.	A B. lapidarius drone, yellow thoracic stripes but note abdomen is black and red only.

Bombus pratorum – the Early Bumblebee.

A tiny, colourful and very busy species (difficult to photograph workers – drones much more laid-back). Short tongued, so likes open flowers.
.	A B. pratorum worker busy in a flower - markings are much as drone to right.	A B. pratorum drone – note abdomen is black, red and yellow, (cf. B lapidarius drone above).

Bombus pascorum - the Common Carder Bee.

All brown. Queens, drones and workers similar.

A A B. pascorum worker. The brown lump on its lower leg is a collection of pollen in its pollen basket. The out-of-focus "stardust" on it's thorax is pollen too. Take care not to confuse with other all-brown but more slender solitary bees. Called a "carder" bee because it gathers balls of woolly moss for it's nest.