Identifying UK Bees - Heath Bumblebee
Identifying Bees of the UK
Heath Bumblebee Bombus jonellus.
by Callum Brooks
The Heath Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) despite its name, isn’t just confined to heathland and it can in fact be found across a wide range of habitats in Britain, which include coastal dunes and chalk downland.
When it comes to identifying a Heath Bumblebee, the first thing you can look for in all castes of this species are its three yellow bands (two on the thorax and one at the top of the abdomen) and its distinct white tail. This bee can at first glance have a shaggier and unkempt appearance too, which is useful in distinguishing it from similar bumblebees, such as the Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) and Ruderal Bumblebee (Bombus ruderatus). Each caste of this species is fairly similar, but there a few small differences to help tell them apart. For example, queen Heath Bumblebees have a pollen basket, which is fringed by pale hairs and the males also have bright yellow faces. As mentioned, there are some species which can appear similar to the Heath Bumblebee, which includes the Garden Bumblebee and to reliably separate these two species you need look at their size (Heath Bumblebee queens are usually smaller) and the shape of their face (Garden Bumblebees have much longer faces and tongues). Finally, you also need to account for regional variation in the appearance of this species, as there are orange-tailed forms of Heath Bumblebee that can be found on the northern offshore islands and these could be potentially mistaken for the similar looking Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum).
Like many other bumblebees, the queens of the Heath Bumblebee are the first to emerge and they can typically be seen on the wing around March of each year. The workers and the males then generally emerge later in the year and they can be spotted from around April onwards. This species is also able to achieve a second nest cycle in many areas of Britain and it can be seen on the wing well into September.
The Heath Bumblebee is a very active bee and when feeding it will rarely settle anywhere for a prolonged period of time. It’s a species that’s widely polylectic and it’ll visit a variety of flowers including heathers, gorse, bird’s-foot-trefoils and hawkbits. The Heath Bumblebee also overcomes the obstacles of having a shorter tongue by using nectar robbing, which allows it to feed on plants with a longer corolla. This ‘nectar robbing’ involves it using its strong mandibles to make a hole at the base of the corolla, which then provides access to the valuable nectar inside.
The Heath Bumblebee typically nests in small colonies of less than 100 workers and these nests can be found in a variety of places (both underground and aerially), which include mossy beds, old mouse/vole holes, old birds’ nests and roof cavities. It’s also thought that the Forest Cuckoo Bee (Bombus sylvestris) will attack and take over the nests of the Heath Bumblebee.
Callum Brooks. July 2021.
