The buff-tailed bumblebee is a common species that can be found in lots of different environments, such as gardens and meadows, in spring, summer and even autumn.
Queens have an orange-brown coloured tail, whereas workers and males have a white tail.
This species falls into the short-tongued category of bumblebees, which means that they can’t forage from flowers with long corollas, because they can’t reach the nectar. However, if needs must, they will turn to nectar robbing, by chewing a hole in the base of the corolla!
Look out for them all over the Botanic Garden, but in late winter, you may find emerging queens foraging on winter heather and crocuses.
