Bombus lapidarius
FAMILY
Apidae
TAXONOMY
Apis lapidaria Linnaeus, 1758.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Red-tailed bumblebee; German: Steinhummel.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Body length is 0.78–0.98 in (20–25 mm). Color is mainly black with a red tail; the male has a yellow collar band.
DISTRIBUTION
Palearctic region as well as Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
HABITAT
Occurs in most grassland areas, collecting nectar from species with short corollas that make good landing platforms, such as daisies, dandelions, and thistles.
BEHAVIOR
Eusocial. The nests are in underground hollows, surrounded by a cover of moss and other materials. The colonies are annual, and only the fertilized queen overwinters. In the spring the queen selects a nest site and begins nest construction; the first brood raised by the queen consists of workers. With the exception of egg laying, the workers take over all duties of the colony, including food gathering and its storage in little sacs resembling honey pots, and care for the larvae. In summer, males and queens are produced, and in the fall all but the queens die.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae are reared with a mixture of pollen and nectar, which are carried in large pollen sacs on the back legs and in the stomach, respectively.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
The queen makes pots of wax and pollen, into which the first eggs are laid. When these eggs hatch, she provides them with honey while making storage cells for honey and more cells for future eggs.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Valuable as pollinators.
