- Lifespan
- Queens 1–2 years; workers 4–6 weeks; males a few weeks
- Size & Weight
- 12–17 mm; relatively small bumblebee with a stocky body
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, meadows, gardens, and rough ground with abundant flowering plants.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout the UK, resident year-round; one of the most widespread bumblebee species in Britain.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar and pollen from a wide range of flowers, particularly favouring wild plants and garden flowers.
- Predators
- Parasitic flies, some bird species, and invertebrate predators such as robber flies and spiders.
- Mating Season
- June to September, with mating typically occurring in late summer.
- Breeding
- Queens establish colonies in spring (April–May); colonies reach 50–400 workers; single annual brood with sexual individuals produced in late summer.
- Behaviour
- A social bumblebee that forms annual colonies with a queen and female workers. Known for its distinctive buzzing flight and gentle temperament, it is an important pollinator. Males and new queens emerge in autumn and mate before overwintering.