(Bombus lapidarius)
The Red Tailed Bumblebee is a very common bumblebee on Vancouver Island, emerging early in the spring and feeding on flowers right through to the fall.
It can be found anywhere there are flowers to feed on. As with other bees, the queen emerges from hibernation in spring and starts a hive by laying eggs that hatch into workers. These workers tend the young and the hive.
Males emerge later and mate with new females who are prospective queens. Both the males and the old queen die in the autumn, but the new queens hibernate through the winter to emerge in the spring to start a new hive.
The female Red Tailed Bumblebee is a large, black bumblebee with a red butt patch. Males are smaller than females and, along with the red tail, have two yellow bands on the thorax and one at the base of the abdomen.
Bumblebees are very important as pollinators of plant species, including many food crops. But they are under threat from loss of habitat and the increasing use of pesticides and herbicides. You can help to encourage bees and wasps to your garden by providing nectar-rich flower borders and fruit trees.
The red tailed bumblebee is easily recognizable by its characteristics. To identify this species, look for a medium sized bumblebee with a reddish-brown tail. The head and thorax are yellow to light brown, often with some darker markings on the face and sides of the body.
When identifying the red tailed bumblebee, pay close attention to the length of its tail. This species has a longer tail than other bumble bees, with some specimens having tails that extend beyond the wingspan. The size of the bee also varies, but most individuals range from 20-28 mm in length.