Bumblebee

Species: Buff-tailed bumblebee

Scientific name: Bombus terrestris

Appearance: A chunky body with yellow and black stripes. Workers have white tufts on their rear, the queen has a ‘buff’ tail which is more of a yellow colour.

Size: Workers up to 1.7cm long, queens 2.2cm.

Natural History: A social bee and the largest of the UK’s bumblebees. They live in colonies of up to 600 bees. An important pollinator, they prefer open flowers as they have relatively short tongues.