- Lifespan
- Queens 1 year; workers 4–6 weeks; males 4–6 weeks
- Size & Weight
- 11–16 mm body length; queens larger than workers
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, meadows, heathland, and woodland edges with abundant early spring flowers.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout the UK, from southern England to Scotland; resident species with populations present year-round as hibernating queens.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar and pollen from a wide range of flowering plants; larvae fed on pollen and regurgitated nectar by worker bees.
- Predators
- Robber flies, some spiders, and parasitic flies; nests may be predated by badgers and birds.
- Mating Season
- July to September; mating occurs in late summer before hibernation.
- Breeding
- Queens establish nests in spring (March–May); colonies produce 40–100 workers; new queens and males emerge in summer; single annual generation.
- Behaviour
- Early Bumblebees are among the first bumblebees to emerge in spring, often seen from February onwards. They are highly social, living in small annual colonies with a single queen. Males are notable for their patrolling behaviour, flying low over vegetation in search of receptive queens.