Tuesday 27 May 2008

Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)

OTHER NAMES: Small Garden Bumblebee
Latin Etymology: Bombus ("buzzing") hortorum ("garden")
Adult Garden Bumblebee (subspecies B. h. hortorum) at Geddington, Northants - April 2018

Featured Subspecies: Bombus hortorum hortorum
Weight: ?  /  Length: 19-22mm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A common and widespread species of bumblebee found across the UK, it is identified by it's white tail, long face and yellow section that crosses from abdomen to thorax.  This is very similar to Bombus ruderatus, the Large Garden Bumblebee, and are apparently very difficult to separate in the field, but as this is the commoner species of the two, I have gone with this for now.  It is globally widely spread, covering Europe into Asia, with introduced populations in Florida and New Zealand. 

Related Species:
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
SUBSPECIES: B. h. hortorum, B. h. ivernicus, others?

 - Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident.
 - Seen at Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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