Bug FAQRed-tailed Bumble Bee
Bombus lapidarius · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Large Red Tailed Bumble Bee, Large Red-tailed Humble-bee, Stone Humble-bee
Source: Wikipedia
Red-tailed bumblebees have a black body with red markings on the abdomen and males show a yellow band and facial markings. They live across temperate Europe, favour open ground, and can fly more than 1.5 km to forage for pollen and nectar. Colonies appear in June-August, started by a queen, and the insects can sting if handled.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Workers and the queen look alike, but the queen is much larger than the workers. Males display the red-and-black colour pattern with additional yellow markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
As a bumblebee, it can sting.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer open terrain rather than heavily forested areas. They are capable of flying over 1500 m to find food.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on pollen and nectar. Workers may sometimes eat the queen’s eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A colony starts when a queen establishes a nest and later produces workers and males.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are active during June, July and August. They typically fly above treetops where wind and sun are stronger.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are found throughout Europe, including Britain, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Sweden and Finland. Their distribution is generally in temperate regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Utah, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are red-tailed bumblebees active?
They are seen in the summer, especially June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do red-tailed bumblebees look like?
They have a black body with red markings on the abdomen; males also show a yellow band and facial markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where do red-tailed bumblebees live?
They are native to temperate Europe, including Britain, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Sweden and Finland.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_lapidarius
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.