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Bombus pascuorum
Bumblebee belonging to the family Apidae. The body size is 9–15 millimetres in the case of a worker. Its wingspan 20–28 millimetres. The thorax is yellowish or reddish-brown. The first 4 abdominal segments have grayish hair, while the fifth and sixth tergite hairs are yellowish or reddish brown. However, the species is quite variable in color. Queens appear between early April to mid-May, workers at the end of April/early May to mid-October. When Queens search for suitable places to nest, they fly just above the vegetation, for example on forest edges, investigating cavities such as holes in the ground or niches in dead wood and grass. From August, rarely before, the first fully developed females, together with drones, are ready. Drones hatch from unfertilized eggs. In August the pascuorum nest, with a diameter of up to 15–20 centimetres, reaches a maximum population size from 60 to 150 individuals. With the Queen the entire nest dies, usually in September. Only the last-hatched females survive, to mate with males. Then they fly in search of a safe place for hibernation.
Spotted high in the mountains ca. 2000m. in an area with alpine meadows and shrubs. Parque Nacional de Guadarrama, Peñalara.
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm. No flash fired
Spotted on Jul 23, 2014
Submitted on Nov 4, 2014
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