Garden bumblebee
Bombus hortorum
The garden bumblebee is a widespread European bumblebee species known for its extremely long tongue. Queens can reach body lengths of up to 24 mm, and the species prefers flowers with deep corollas. Its color pattern consists of three yellow bands and a pure white tail.
Details
Identification
Three yellow bands (two on the thorax, one on the abdomen), white tail, exceptionally long head.
Social behavior
Eusocial; forms annual colonies with approximately 50 to 120 individuals.
Diet
Nectar and pollen, specialized in long-tubed flowers such as red clover, monkshood, dead-nettles, and foxglove.
Overwintering
Only the mated young queens overwinter underground in self-dug burrows.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important pollinator for plant species that are inaccessible to other insects due to their floral morphology.
Natural predators
Birds (e.g., red-backed shrike), spiders, robber flies, and the cuckoo bumblebee Bombus barbutellus.
Competitor species
Other long-tongued bumblebee species such as the common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum).
Ecosystem service
Pollination of wild plants and agricultural crops, especially clover species.
Threats
Habitat loss, use of pesticides in agriculture, and decline of late-blooming plants.
Scientific profile
Profile
Distinguishing features
Distinctly elongated head ('horse-like'), extremely long proboscis (up to 21 mm), three yellow bands distinguish it from the B. terrestris group.