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Red-tailed bumblebee, Heesch, Netherlands On clover, in our backyard. This is the female. Species is all black except for the &quot;tail&quot;. Legs are black too, yet in this photo covered with pollen. <br /> <br /> This is the 3rd bumblebee species found on the same group of clover plants, here&#039;s the other 2:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97690/buff-tailed_bumblebee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Buff-tailed bumblebee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/97690_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=hTXNiIkg8aZDg%2BaR6gvIdHDaADE%3D" width="152" height="152" alt="Buff-tailed bumblebee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands Second species of bumblebee found in our garden targeting white clover. Keys for this species are:<br /> - Tip of abdomen light-haired (white)<br /> - Bottom part of thorax black-haired<br /> <br /> This combination sets it apart from Bombus hortorum.<br /> <br /> The other species found:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97689/common_carder-bee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html Bombus terrestris,Buff-tailed bumblebee,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,World" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97689/common_carder-bee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Common Carder-bee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/97689_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=56bwVYaEFxSAIJ6KIDJphpqitNA%3D" width="200" height="192" alt="Common Carder-bee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands One of the perks of allowing Clover to grow on a lawn is the abundance of bumblebees making use of it. <br /> <br /> This is the most common species in the Netherlands. The colorful hair on the thorax is variable based on region, and can be yellow or orange. Key identification point (not seen from this angle) are the light hairs at the end of the abdomen.<br /> <br /> Second species of bumblebee found:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97690/buff-tailed_bumblebee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html Bombus pascuorum,Common Carder-bee,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,World" /></a></figure> Bombus lapidarius,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,Red-tailed bumblebee,World Click/tap to enlarge

Red-tailed bumblebee, Heesch, Netherlands

On clover, in our backyard. This is the female. Species is all black except for the "tail". Legs are black too, yet in this photo covered with pollen.

This is the 3rd bumblebee species found on the same group of clover plants, here's the other 2:

Buff-tailed bumblebee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands Second species of bumblebee found in our garden targeting white clover. Keys for this species are:<br /> - Tip of abdomen light-haired (white)<br /> - Bottom part of thorax black-haired<br /> <br /> This combination sets it apart from Bombus hortorum.<br /> <br /> The other species found:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97689/common_carder-bee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html Bombus terrestris,Buff-tailed bumblebee,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,World

Common Carder-bee on White Clover, Heesch, Netherlands One of the perks of allowing Clover to grow on a lawn is the abundance of bumblebees making use of it. <br /> <br /> This is the most common species in the Netherlands. The colorful hair on the thorax is variable based on region, and can be yellow or orange. Key identification point (not seen from this angle) are the light hairs at the end of the abdomen.<br /> <br /> Second species of bumblebee found:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/97690/buff-tailed_bumblebee_on_white_clover_heesch_netherlands.html Bombus pascuorum,Common Carder-bee,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,World

    comments (2)

  1. View Jivko Nakev's profile
    Jivko Nakev
    Lion
    View Lion class
    To me, bumblebees are a complete mystery! I am horrified when I have to identify them! -:)
     Posted 5 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      I don't know anything about them either, but in the Netherlands it's reasonably easy. There's only 29 species and when found near urban areas, in 90% of cases it's one of these 6:
      https://natuurpuntwaarschoot.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/hommel1.jpg

      Yet still details matter, as males/females look different.       Posted 5 years ago

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The Red-tailed Bumble Bee

"Bombus lapidarius" is a species of bumblebee in the subgenus "Melanobombus". Commonly known as the red-tailed bumblebee, "B. lapidarius" can be found throughout much of Central Europe. Known for its distinctive black and red body, this social bee is important in pollination.

Info 14 1
Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Aug 1, 2020. Captured Jun 20, 2020 17:04.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/8.0
  • 1/125s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm