OK riddle me this: What bee species is this? It's definitely a bumblebee and a female (you can see the pollen basket on the hind leg) but it has a white tail and a white band where you'd expect the yellow band to be. My only guess is that it's a colour morph of some kind.
I posted this a few weeks ago and still haven't answered the question but I have found another interesting bee with white banding where it should be bright yellow. This is a bilberry bumblebee on the clover I've been growing in my lawn. The two bands on the abdomen should both be yellow.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Perhaps @wild edges will see this today @Guernsey Donkey2. That 2nd pic is really beautiful. I'm sometimes tempted to buy another camera which has a good macro feature. Mine isn't good for closeups. I couldn't help smiling at this pic I took the other day of this young chaffinch. They always look as if they haven't a clue what they're doing.
'Right - I've got into this contraption. Now what?'
'Shift your fat a**e and I'll show you mate'
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
They always look as if they haven't a clue what they're doing.
That's what I look like most all of the time
@Guernsey Donkey2 The one with the red tail is a bilberry bumblebee (bombus monticola), the red goes higher up the tail than the very similar male red tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius). Not a clue on the other one sorry. It's hard enough to ID that type when they show the proper colours but I'm totally lost on the morphs.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
They always look as if they haven't a clue what they're doing.
That's what I look like most all of the time
What - a face like a well skelped a**e? He's getting the hang of it now. The juvie goldies are keeping him right. I have almost zero knowledge of bee species, but I love watching them all, which is a huge pleasure. I should probably get a specialist book or summat and spend some time perusing
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
OK riddle me this: What bee species is this? It's definitely a bumblebee and a female (you can see the pollen basket on the hind leg) but it has a white tail and a white band where you'd expect the yellow band to be. My only guess is that it's a colour morph of some kind.
I posted this a few weeks ago and still haven't answered the question but I have found another interesting bee with white banding where it should be bright yellow. This is a bilberry bumblebee on the clover I've been growing in my lawn. The two bands on the abdomen should both be yellow.
Quoted myself twice here but never mind I finally found out the answer to this question via the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. I emailed them the photos and they sent a reply saying that colour in bumblebees is affected by the sun so the very hot summer we had last year has given these bees blond highlights. The bee with the red tail is a male and as such doesn't spend any time back in the nest so is more prone to sun bleaching than female workers. Mystery solved
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We’ve ID them with help from the Futon Co website ... from left to right they are George, John and Paul ... we have yet to find a Ringo 👀
😉
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I couldn't help smiling at this pic I took the other day of this young chaffinch. They always look as if they haven't a clue what they're doing.
'Right - I've got into this contraption. Now what?'
'Shift your fat a**e and I'll show you mate'
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
He's getting the hang of it now. The juvie goldies are keeping him right.
I have almost zero knowledge of bee species, but I love watching them all, which is a huge pleasure. I should probably get a specialist book or summat and spend some time perusing
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...