Field Guide
🐛
Early Bumblebee
Bombus pratorum
Not yet photographed by the community
Smallest common bumblebee; appears early in spring.
Species Profile
Not Threatened; common and widespread across the UK.
- 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.
- •The earliest-emerging UK bumblebee species, sometimes spotted on warm days in late January or early February when most insects are still dormant.
- •Queens can tolerate colder temperatures than other bumblebee species, allowing them to forage in poor weather and establish nests earlier in the year.
- •Males engage in 'hilltopping' behaviour, congregating on elevated ground to increase chances of encountering virgin queens.
- •Colonies are relatively small compared to other bumblebee species, typically producing fewer than 100 workers before declining in summer.
- •A key early-season pollinator for spring wildflowers and fruit tree blossoms, making it ecologically important for garden and agricultural ecosystems.
🐛
No photos yet
Be the first to photograph a Early Bumblebee and share it with the community.