Red-tailed bumble bee
The red-tailed bumblebee has its own cuckoo mimic, Bombus rupestris, which sneaks into its nests instead of raising its own workers.
| Where | Gardens, parks, farmland, grassland |
|---|---|
| Size | 11 to 22 mm long |
| When | March to October |
Queens and workers are velvety black with a bright red-orange tail, while males also show a yellow band at the front of the thorax.
Colonies nest underground or in other enclosed spaces and can grow to around 300 workers, foraging on flowers such as dandelions and knapweeds.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Black, Red
Active
Day
To people
Mild
Females can sting but are docile and rarely do.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Red-tailed cuckoo bumblebee has darker, smokier wings and no pollen basket, since it lays its eggs in red-tailed bumblebee nests instead of rearing its own workers.
Questions
Is the Red-tailed bumble bee dangerous to people?
Mild. Females can sting but are docile and rarely do.
When can you see the Red-tailed bumble bee?
The Red-tailed bumble bee can be seen from March to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Bees, wasps and ants›Bees and bumblebees›Bombus
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.