- Lifespan
- Queens live 1–2 years; workers live 4–6 weeks; males live a few weeks
- Size & Weight
- Queens 20–22 mm; workers 14–18 mm; males 15–17 mm
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, meadows, heathland, gardens, and agricultural margins with abundant wildflowers and clover.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout the UK, including Scotland, Wales, and northern England; resident species with populations present year-round.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar and pollen from a wide range of flowering plants; larvae are fed regurgitated nectar and pollen by workers.
- Predators
- Robber flies, Asian hornets (in localised areas), and parasitic flies; nests also raided by badgers and other mammals.
- Mating Season
- July to September
- Breeding
- Queens produce a single annual colony of 50–400 workers; eggs hatch in 3 days, larvae pupate after 10–14 days; new queens and males emerge in late summer.
- Behaviour
- Highly social, living in colonies with a clear worker-queen hierarchy. Workers communicate through waggle dances and pheromones to signal flower locations. Queens are semi-claustrine, remaining in the nest to lay eggs while workers forage.