Demystifying the Appearance of Bumble Bees
Bumble bees are familiar fuzzy insects that play a vital role as pollinators. But if you want to identify them, it helps to understand their distinct features. So what exactly does a bumble bee look like?
Bumble bees have some signature physical traits that differentiate them from other bee species
Size and Shape
Bumble bees have plump, oval-shaped bodies covered in soft hair-like setae. They are typically larger than honey bees, with queens reaching up to 2 cm in length. Workers and males are closer to 1.5 cm. Their bodies are divided into three main sections – the head, thorax and abdomen.
Color Patterns
The most common bumble bee color scheme is black and yellow, featuring broad black bands interspersed with yellow hair patches. But some species sport red, orange or white hair instead of yellow. Overall, bumble bees tend to appear tricolored due to the two main alternating colors plus black.
Head
The head is predominantly black with yellow or white hairs interspersed on the face and top. Two compound eyes and three simple eyes (ocelli) sit on the sides and top of the head. Long antennae extend out front, made up of 12 segments in females and 13 in males. Mandibles for chewing food protrude from the mouth.
Thorax
This body segment contains the wings and legs. On each side of the thorax are two large transparent wings that lay flat over the abdomen when at rest. Bumble bees have six legs in total that are covered in dense hair – two on the thorax and two each on the middle and rear sections. The legs are black with light colored hairs.
Abdomen
Making up the bulk of the body, the abdomen contains the digestive system, sting, associated venom sack (in females), and wax-producing glands. The rounded abdomen is striped with black hair bands bordering colored hair sections that match the thorax and head. The tip of the abdomen is silver-white.
Stinger
Only female bumble bees have an iconic stinger protruding from the rear of the abdomen. Unlike a pointed honey bee stinger, the bumble bee stinger is smooth, small and curved. When not in use, it is mostly retracted within the rear tip of the abdomen.
Other Identifying Traits
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Dense and soft hair that provides insulation and pollen collection ability
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Loud, buzzing flight compared to other bees
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Ability to detach flight muscles and vibrate to generate heat when cold
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Pollen baskets (corbicula) on rear legs to transport pollen back to the colony
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Nectar pouch (crop) within the abdomen to store nectar while foraging
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Queens are larger than workers and males
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Males have an additional antenna segment and different facial hair patterns
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New queens have larger abdomens for establishing colonies
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In flight, the legs dangle and the abdomen tucks upwards
Bumble Bee or Honey Bee?
Bumble bees are often confused with honey bees due to some similarities, but can be distinguished:
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Bumble bees are larger and fuzzier overall
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Bumble bee abdomens are more rounded compared to honey bees
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Bumble bee wings lay flat over the abdomen when resting, while honey bee wings are angled
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Bumble bee colony sizes are much smaller, numbering dozens not thousands
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Bumble bee queens physically start new nests alone, unlike honey bee queens
How to identify bumblebees
In Britain we have around 270 species of bee and of them, 24 are species of bumblebee. Our guide will help you name some of the common bumblebees you see buzzing around our parks and gardens.
Common Carder Bee: The common carder bee is a fluffy, orange and brown bumblebee that sometimes has darker bands on its abdomen. There are a lot of common carder bees in the UK. They come out early in the spring and can be seen eating flowers until November.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Common Carder Bee ©Rachel Scopes
Early bumblebee: This type of bumblebee is small and has orange antennae and lemon-yellow bands on its chest and abdomen. It is found throughout the UK in all kinds of habitats. It is a small bee and an important pollinator of soft fruit, such as raspberries and blackberries.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Bumblebee tree The tree bumblebee has fuzzy, orange-brown hairs on its chest, a black belly, and a white tail. It can now be found in much of England and Wales and has reached Southern Scotland. Since it lives in open woodland, you can often find it in gardens that have a similar environment.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Tree bumblebee by Wendy Carter
Red-tailed bumblebee: The female in this species is very big and black, with a big red tail. The males are smaller. It lives in gardens, farmland, the edges of forests, hedgerows, and heaths—anywhere there are flowers for it to eat.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Red-tailed bumblebee ©Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Garden bumblebee The garden bumblebee is a large, scruffy-looking bee, with a long tongue and face. The collar, the back of the thorax, and the first part of the abdomen all have yellow bands on them. The tip of the tail is white. This bumblebee is pretty big, and you can find it in a lot of places, from gardens to forests.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Garden bumblebee by Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Buff-tailed bumblebee The buff-tailed bumblebee has a yellow collar near the head and another on the abdomen. There is a faint buff line running down the middle of the queen’s tail, but not across the middle of the workers’ tails. Males have buff-tinged tails and also have black hair on their faces. Buff-tailed bumblebees are the biggest of the bumblebees and are found in lowland areas.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
Buff-tailed BumbleBee © Jon Hawkins Surrey Hills Photography
White-tailed bumblebee The white-tailed bumblebee is black with two lemon-yellow bands on its body and a white tail. There are several very similar species that can be very difficult to tell apart. For instance, the buff-tailed bumblebee has dull yellow and black bands on its body and a buff-colored tail instead of a bright white one. The white-tailed bumblebee and the garden bumblebee both have a white tail, but the stripes are on the garden bumblebee’s tail are in a different spot. If there are flowers for them to eat, white-tailed bumblebees will be in gardens, farmland, the edges of woods, hedgerows, and heathland.
Illustration by Corinne Welch
VIRAL BUMBLE BEE LOOK!?! #shorts
FAQ
Do bumble bees bite or sting you?
Are bumble bees harmless?
What does a bumblebee look like?
What do bumblebees look like?
Bumblebees are black and yellow bees that are large and fuzzy. They are called bumblebees because they frequently bump into things. Bumblebees live in colonies and build their small nests in holes or cracks in the ground. Where can I find information about Urban Beekeeping in Winnipeg?
What does a carbuncle look like?
Carbuncles appear as red, swollen, pus-filled bumps that most commonly develop on the back of the neck, back, armpits, and buttocks. Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria cause most carbuncles. Carbuncles can affect anyone, but older adults and people with obesity, weakened immune systems, or diabetes are more likely to develop them.
What does a Bumblebee head look like?
The head of a bumblebee is a remarkable feature that houses various important sensory organs. One of the most striking features of their heads is the large compound eyes. These compound eyes consist of thousands of tiny individual lenses, allowing bumblebees to have exceptional vision.
How do you identify a bumblebee?
Try to fill in the alphabet with them using the things Identification guides they notice around them. For example, W for wind, G for (optional) grass, B for bumblebee. 5. Look under rocks, up into high tree branches, and peer into hedges to find as many species as you can.