Bombus lapidarius
Encyclopedia
Bombus lapidarius, the Red-tailed bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee
in the subgenus Melanobombus.
s or walls, which explains the literal meanings of their common names in various Germanic languages: "Stone bumblebee" (cf. ). They are also found though in the straw of stables or in abandoned birds' nests. An average colony consists of about 100 to 200 worker bee
s. Red-tailed bumblebees prefer the nectar of various species of clover
and deadnettle
.
was responsible for a great "dying of bumblebees" has been proven wrong.
This species is widespread across Ireland, though there is some evidence that the species is declining in agricultural grasslands. It is considered Near Threatened in Ireland.
Bumblebee
A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...
in the subgenus Melanobombus.
Characteristics
Red-tailed bumblebees are mostly coloured black, the hind-quarters are auburn red though. Male exemplars feature a yellow band on their chest. Their nests are built in cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
s or walls, which explains the literal meanings of their common names in various Germanic languages: "Stone bumblebee" (cf. ). They are also found though in the straw of stables or in abandoned birds' nests. An average colony consists of about 100 to 200 worker bee
Worker bee
A Worker bee is any female eusocial bee that lacks the full reproductive capacity of the colony's queen bee; under most circumstances, this is correlated to an increase in certain non-reproductive activities relative to a queen, as well...
s. Red-tailed bumblebees prefer the nectar of various species of clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
and deadnettle
Lamium
Lamium is a genus of about 40-50 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which family it is the type genus...
.
Conservation status
Red-tailed bumblebees rank among the most common and most recognized bumblebees of Central Europe, but there are rarer species of similar appearance. Also the assumption that nectar from non-endemic plants such as Tilia tomentosaTilia tomentosa
Tilia tomentosa is a species of Tilia native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Hungary and the Balkans east to western Turkey, occurring at moderate altitudes....
was responsible for a great "dying of bumblebees" has been proven wrong.
This species is widespread across Ireland, though there is some evidence that the species is declining in agricultural grasslands. It is considered Near Threatened in Ireland.