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The British buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris ssp. audax) is an endemic UK subspecies of the common buff-tailed bumblebee. It features a black body with golden-yellow bands, a distinctive buff-coloured tail on queens, and white tails on workers. Colonies can grow up to 600 individuals underground.
Appearance and Identification
Size: Queens reach 22 mm, while workers are smaller (11–17 mm).
Collar & Bands: Yellow-orange collar on the thorax with a second yellow-brown band on the abdomen.
Tail color: Queens show a brownish-buff tail, whereas workers often appear white-tailed.
Behavior and HabitatNesting: They build underground nests, often in old rodent or mammal holes.
Winter activity: Mild UK winters allow some southern colonies to stay active and forage year-round.
Feeding: They possess short tongues and practice "nectar robbing" by biting holes in deep flowers.
