---
title: "What the sources say about the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "54 claims from the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/buff-tailed-bumblebee-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/buff-tailed-bumblebee/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*)

> 54 claims from the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Buff-Tailed Bumblebee](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/buff-tailed-bumblebee/)

## Can you bust these seven bumblebee myths? Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/can-you-bust-these-seven-bumblebee-myths/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| tags: venomous | True! Only female bees (queens and workers) can sting, males cannot. (note: task #1096: the Trust's page is about bumblebees as a group, which includes this species; no species page states the sting) |
| tags: venomous | Bumblebees have smooth stingers which allows them to fly away easily and eject less venom. |

## Buff-tailed bumblebee. The Wildlife Trusts.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/buff-tailed-bumblebee

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| bites holes in flowers to steal nectar | if they come across a flower that is too deep for their tongue, they bite a hole at its base and suck out the nectar |
| nests underground in colonies of up to 600 | They nest underground in large groups of up to 600 bees (note: tagline) |
| Nectar robbing: it bites a hole at the base of a flower too deep for its short tongue and sucks out the nectar | if they come across a flower that is too deep for their tongue, they bite a hole at its base and suck out the nectar (note: stats.superpower) |
| has a short tongue, and some flowers are too deep for it | if they come across a flower that is too deep for their tongue (note: body) |
| bite a hole at the base of the flower and suck out the nectar | they bite a hole at its base and suck out the nectar |
| it is known as a "nectar robber" | Buff-tailed bumblebees are known as ‘nectar robbers’ (note: body) |
| Other insects then use the hole too | Afterward, other insects looking for nectar will also use this handy hole. (note: body) |
| prefers open, daisy-like ones, where the nectar is easier to reach | They love all types of flowers but especially open, daisy-like flowers, where they can more easily reach the nectar with their short tongues. (note: body) |
| one of the UK's biggest bumblebees | Buff-tailed bumblebees are one of our biggest bumblebees (note: Wildlife Trusts is a UK charity; 'our' is the UK) |
| at 2.0 to 2.2 cm long | Statistics Length: 2.0-2.2cm (note: body) |
| The name comes from the buff-coloured tail of the queen | They are named after the buff-coloured tail of their queen (note: body) |
| Nests sit underground, often in old mammal nests | They nest underground in large groups of up to 600 bees, often using old mammal nests. (note: body) |
| the Wildlife Trusts say up to 600 bees | They nest underground in large groups of up to 600 bees (note: body) |
| it bites a hole at the base of the flower and sucks out the nectar | they bite a hole at its base and suck out the nectar (note: vibe.reason animal clause; same quote as the body claim) |

## Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee/buff-tailed-bumblebee/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A short-tongued bumblebee | This species has a short tongue (note: tagline) |
| has a short tongue | This species has a short tongue (note: body) |
| It struggles with long, tubular flowers | it struggles with long, tubular flowers due to the short tongue (note: body) |
| lists it among the "Big Eight" common and widespread bumblebees in the UK | This is one of the Big Eight common and widespread bumblebees. (note: UK species guide) |
| Workers have white tails | workers and males have white tails (note: BCT; Wildlife Trusts says 'almost white') |
| the workers of this species and the white-tailed bumblebee generally cannot be told apart | Generally, the workers of these two species cannot be told apart. (note: 'these two species' = buff-tailed and white-tailed (B. lucorum)) |
| puts a big nest at around 350 workers | Nests can be large and have around 350 workers. (note: body) |
| In the UK, queens are some of the first to emerge, in late winter or early spring, and can be seen from February | Buff-tailed bumblebee queens are some of the first queens to emerge in late winter/early spring and can be seen from February onwards. (note: BCT is a UK species guide) |
| In southern parts of the UK, and in cities further north, the species can also be winter-active | In southern parts of the UK, as well as in cities further north, this species can also be winter-active. |
| nests are established in October or November | Nests are established in October-November (note: body) |
| workers forage all winter on Mahonia and other winter-flowering plants | workers can be seen foraging all winter on Mahonia and other winter-flowering plants (note: body) |
| A nest runs for three to four months | the three to four month nesting period (note: faq) |
| Workers show up about six weeks after it is founded | Workers appear roughly six weeks after the nest is established (note: faq) |
| the new queens and males are produced near the end | new queens and males are produced towards the end of the three to four month nesting period (note: faq) |

## Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758). Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society.

https://bwars.com/bee/apidae/bombus-terrestris

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Grassland, shrubland, forest, towns and gardens across Europe and the middle and northern latitudes of Asia, and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa | It is widespread in Europe, middle and northern latitudes of Asia, eastwards to northern Mongolia (Løken 1973). It is also found in northern Africa at the higher altitudes of the Atlas Mountains. (note: stats.habitat, range part) |
| Nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers | Visits are made to a wide variety of flowers, both for pollen and nectar. (note: stats.diet) |
| It visits a wide variety of flowers for both pollen and nectar | Visits are made to a wide variety of flowers, both for pollen and nectar. (note: body) |
| gives its range as Europe and the middle and northern latitudes of Asia, east to northern Mongolia | It is widespread in Europe, middle and northern latitudes of Asia, eastwards to northern Mongolia (note: body) |
| the higher altitudes of the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa | It is also found in northern Africa at the higher altitudes of the Atlas Mountains. (note: body) |
| A 2009 profile by the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society | Year profile last updated 2009 (note: body) |
| captive nests, not of the British sub-species, are used by commercial tomato and fruit growers | Captive nests, not of the British sub-species, are now used by commercial tomato and fruit growers. (note: body; 'now' dropped and dated 2009 in the sentence) |
| Some of the breeding bees may escape and interbreed with wild ones | some sexuals may escape and inter-breed with wild bees (note: 'sexuals' = breeding queens and males) |
| Bees from commercial nests lack the deeper yellow bands and darker tail markings of the British sub-species | Bees from commercial nests are like B. lucorum agg., lacking the deeper yellow bands and darker tail markings of the British sub-species. (note: body) |
| People put them there on purpose in the late 1800s | The species was deliberately introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800s. (note: faq) |
| Escapes from commercial use have also let the species settle in Australasia and South America | Introductions as a result of escapes from commercial use have resulted in establishment in Australasia and South America. (note: faq) |
| That 2009 profile | Year profile last updated 2009 |

## AnAge entry for Bombus terrestris. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, AnAge database.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Bombus_terrestris

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The AnAge database gives a maximum longevity of 0.27 years in captivity | Maximum longevity 0.27 years (captivity) (note: body) |
| from a study of the longevity of queens | Lifetime reproductive success and longevity of queens in an annual social insect (note: AnAge's ref 1444 (Lopez-Vaamonde et al. 2009), the source of the 0.27-year maximum) |
| records specimens of the audax subspecies living up to 98 days | Specimens of the /audax/ subspecies were found to live up to 98 days. (note: body) |

## Ghisbain et al. (2025). Bombus terrestris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T221880141A221880274.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t221880141a221880274.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Grassland, shrubland, forest, towns and gardens | HABITAT AND ECOLOGY Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Artificial/Terrestrial (note: stats.habitat; towns and gardens from Wildlife Trusts habitats list too) |
| Its Red List assessment for Europe, published in 2025 | 2025. Bombus terrestris (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025 (note: Europe scope: SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT Europe) |
| last assessed in 2023 | LAST ASSESSED 14 July 2023 |
| lists it as Least Concern | Bombus terrestris is listed as Least Concern. |
| Not in Europe | Bombus terrestris is listed as Least Concern. (note: faq) |
| The Red List's 2025 Europe assessment | 2025. Bombus terrestris (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025 |
| last assessed on 14 July 2023 | LAST ASSESSED 14 July 2023 (note: faq; quote lines joined) |
| rates it Least Concern with an Increasing population trend | Bombus terrestris is listed as Least Concern. ... POPULATION TREND Increasing |
| Not Evaluated | SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT Europe (note: stats.conservationStatus: the only Red List assessment is Europe regional (DOI cited); species also lives in North Africa and Asia (BWARS), so no global category. Orchestrator's GBIF/Crossref check.) |