Bombus terrestris
Habitat: Gardens, parks and open habitats
Size: Queen 20-22mm, workers and males 11-17mm
Species Account: The largest of the common species, and usually the first to be seen each year. Sightings in February are common, and queens may even emerge on sunny days in January. Queens are easily recognised by the buff-tail which gives the species its name, but workers and males are white-tailed and so near impossible to distinguish from B.lucorum workers. The bands on all castes are a more orange-yellow than in B.lucorum, but this is not a reliable field characteristic.
