RED-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

WITH its rotund black body and rusty redtipped tail, this bumblebee looks a bit like a copper-bottomed battery.

Widespread and abundant it is a handsome and striking looking bee and, discounting rarer lookalike species, is easy to identify.

The red-tailed bumblebee is one of the socalled ‘Big 7’ – our most frequently seen bumblebees – and can be found in gardens and a wide range of habitats.

The queens and female workers are jet black with red which covers quite a bit of their abdomen, while the males have some yellow around the face and yellow bands at the front and rear of the middle section of the body, the thorax.

Interestingly, there is a crafty mimic which is virtually identical looking, though has very dark wings, called the red-tailed cuckoo bumblebee. This master of deception is far less common and takes over nests of the redtailed bumblebee, using the workforce to raise its own young.