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Cuckoo Bumblebee

Bombus bohemicus

Description:

Is this a bumble-bee? Its tail is certainly yellow maybe a tiny bit white on the very tip

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8 Comments

MatthewFuller
MatthewFuller 12 years ago

A Bohemian Rhapso-Bee!

Sorry, I'll get my coat

Doryreed
Doryreed 12 years ago

Just had another look at this and I am sure it is a cuckoo bee. Either B. vestalis or B. bohemicus. I would go with vestalis as it was taken in the south.
The reason I think it is a cuckoo is the yellow band just before the white on the tail. You can see it on the second photo.

Doryreed
Doryreed 12 years ago

Yeah it isn't easy even when you get them under a microscope to be honest. Name badges sound like a very good idea. :)

MatthewFuller
MatthewFuller 12 years ago

It's tough trying to figure out exactly which bumblebee this is, its tail is more yellow than those illustrated, should have a name-badge

Doryreed
Doryreed 12 years ago

A good guide for the most common 6 species of bumblebee is on the Natural History Museum website.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/r...

Doryreed
Doryreed 12 years ago

It is either a bumblebee or a cuckoo bee but both are Bombus spp. I am leaning toward Bombus pratorum as the second pic looks like the end of the abdomen is redish. Also the pollen baskets suggest bumblebee rather than cuckoo.

Gordon Dietzman
Gordon Dietzman 12 years ago

It may be difficult to look at these two views to ID to the species, but look at this page: http://www.bumblebee.org/quickGuide.htm and let us know what you think.

Barbara P
Barbara P 12 years ago

Bee or bumblebee? =)

MatthewFuller
Spotted by
MatthewFuller

Reigate and Banstead, England, United Kingdom

Spotted on May 14, 2011
Submitted on May 14, 2011

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