White-tailed bumblebee

Bombus lucorum is a large bumblebee, slightly smaller than Bombus terrestris, and with a white tip to her abdomen. Tthe queen has a length of 18–22 mm, the workers are smaller (11-17 mm). The species has a short proboscis (tongue). The predominating colour is black, with a pale yellow collar, another yellow band on the second tergite (abdominal segment), and a white tail.

The hibernating queen emerges very early, February-March. The nest, up to 400 workers, is usually built underground. The males fly in a low patrolling circuit, depositing pheromones on grass to attract young queens.

They have comparatively short tongues for bumblebees, so they tend to forage on flowers with short corollas and daisy-type flowers. However they
are accomplished nectar robbers. When they find a flower where the nectar is too deep down the corolla for them to reach they bite a hole near the base of the corolla and push their tongue through and drink the nectar. This can often be seen on vetches.

The bumblebee visits many flowers, including many garden plants, as lavender, Hebe, Rhododendron, deadnettles, thistles, and vetches.