# Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*)

> The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a large, fuzzy, black-and-yellow bee found in meadows, gardens, and farmland. Measuring about 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.6 to 1 in) long, it flies at up to around 24 km/h (15 mph) and feeds on nectar and pollen, making it one of the most important pollinators in temperate regions. Workers live only a few weeks, while a queen can live about a year. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Insect
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Meadows, gardens, and farmland across the Northern Hemisphere and introduced elsewhere; key pollinators.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bumblebee/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Hymenoptera
- **Family:** Apidae
- **Genus:** Bombus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Bombus terrestris |
| Diet | Herbivore (nectar and pollen) |
| Habitat | Meadows, gardens, farmland, and woodland edges |
| Lifespan | Workers a few weeks; queens about a year |
| Length | 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1 in) |
| Top speed | Up to ~24 km/h (15 mph) in flight |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Appearance and identification

Bumblebees are round, robust bees covered in dense fuzzy hair, which gives them their soft appearance and helps them stay warm. The buff-tailed bumblebee is one of the largest common species, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.6 to 1 in) long, with bands of black and yellow and a pale buff-coloured tail on the queen. Their thick coat, called pile, also traps pollen as they visit flowers. Queens are noticeably larger than the workers and males of the colony.

## Flight and foraging

Bumblebees are strong, agile fliers that can reach speeds of around 24 km/h (15 mph) as they move between flowers. They can warm up their flight muscles by shivering, which lets them fly in cooler and cloudier weather than most other bees. This gives them a long working day, foraging from early morning into the evening. A single bumblebee may visit hundreds of flowers on one trip, gathering nectar and pollen to carry back to the nest.

## Pollination and diet

Bumblebees feed entirely on nectar and pollen, and in gathering them they pollinate a huge range of wild plants and crops. They are especially valuable because of "buzz pollination", in which they grip a flower and vibrate their muscles to shake loose pollen that many other insects cannot reach. This makes them key pollinators of tomatoes, blueberries, and other crops. Their work in gardens and farmland supports both wild plant communities and food production.

## Colony life

Bumblebees are social insects that live in small colonies, usually of a few dozen to a few hundred individuals, far smaller than a honeybee hive. In spring a lone queen starts a new nest, often in an old rodent burrow or a tussock of grass, and raises the first workers herself. Those workers then take over foraging and brood care while the queen concentrates on laying eggs. Later in the year the colony produces new queens and males before the old colony dies off.

## Life cycle and lifespan

The bumblebee colony follows a yearly rhythm. Only newly mated queens survive the winter, sheltering underground until spring, when each founds a fresh colony; a queen can live for about a year in total. Workers, by contrast, live just a few weeks during the active season. In late summer the new queens mate and go into hibernation while the rest of the colony, including the old queen and the workers, comes to an end.

## Bumblebees and people

Bumblebees are gentle and rarely sting unless their nest is threatened, and unlike honeybees a female can sting more than once. They are widely valued by gardeners and farmers, and buff-tailed bumblebees are even reared commercially to pollinate greenhouse crops. While this particular species is common and listed as Least Concern, many other bumblebees have declined, so wildflower-rich gardens and hedgerows help support them all.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do bumblebees sting?

Bumblebees can sting but are very gentle and rarely do so unless their nest is threatened. Unlike honeybees, a female bumblebee can sting more than once because her sting is not barbed.

### What do bumblebees eat?

Bumblebees feed entirely on nectar and pollen from flowers. They use nectar for energy and collect pollen as protein-rich food for the growing larvae back in the nest.

### How fast can a bumblebee fly?

Bumblebees are strong fliers that can reach speeds of around 24 km/h (15 mph). They can also warm their muscles by shivering, letting them fly in cooler weather than many other bees.

### How long do bumblebees live?

Worker bumblebees live only a few weeks during the active season, while a queen can live for about a year. Only mated queens survive the winter to start new colonies in spring.

### Why are bumblebees important pollinators?

Bumblebees pollinate many wild plants and crops, and they perform buzz pollination by vibrating flowers to release pollen other insects cannot reach. This makes them vital for crops such as tomatoes and blueberries.

### How big are bumblebee colonies?

Bumblebee colonies are small, usually a few dozen to a few hundred individuals, far smaller than a honeybee hive. A single queen founds each colony in spring and it lasts a single season.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Bombus terrestris.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Bombus%20terrestris&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Bombus terrestris. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bombus_terrestris/)
- [Wikipedia — Bumblebee.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_terrestris)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bumblebee/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.