Can anybody shed any light upon the species of Bee in the following photograph ??. My line of thinking has lead me to believe it to be either the Bombus Hortorum or the Bombus Ruderatus. I'm eager to learn of it's identity as one of the above mentioned species is rare and very localised, whilst the other is extremely common and widespread. The abdominal region is quite difficult to see in the photo as it's tucked under but it has a small light covering of white hair. Bit of a tough challenge but i'm sure someone out there is up to it.
Grateful for any help
Well......I have been researching this little fella quite extensively, and no matter how many books I have read and scientific principles I have followed, the common Hortorum and the rare Ruderatus are virtually impossible to tell apart. So, after much digging around are still none the wiser. Not calling it a day yet though. :) :)
It's a Bombus Hortorum. Yellow band on lower thorax is slightly narrower than on the Ruderatus and the hair is not quite as neat as on the Ruderatus. There is a definite distinction between the end of the yellow band and the beginning of the black on the Ruderatus, whereas on the Hortorum, these margins are ever so slightly less well defined due to the more scruffy nature of the hair.