Bumblebee Identification

Note: Bumblebees have many mimics. Bees have two pairs of wings (hooked together in flight) - flies have one pair. In bees the antennae are sturdy and segmented (up to 13), in flies the antennae are one thin segment with or without hairs.

Click on the group heading for more details of individual species.

• Red or Orange tailed bumblebees
• Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
• Red-shanked carder bee (Bombus ruderarius)
• Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
• Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola)
• Yellow and black striped bumblebees
• Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
• White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
• Garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
• Heath bumblebee (Bombus jonellus)
• Broken belted bumblebee (Bombus soroeensis)
• Foxy bumblebees
• Common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)
• Scarce carder bee (Bombus muscorum)
• Great yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus)
• Cuckoo bees
• Gypsy cuckoo bee (Bombus bohemicus)
• Barbut's cuckoo bee (Bombus barbutellus)
• Four-coloured cuckoo bee (Bombus sylvestris)
• Field cuckoo bee (Bombus campestris)

Click on image to see and/or print the (PDF format) quick colour key to Highland Bumblebees (Bombus and Psithyrus):
Right click to download the PDF file for storing and printing.