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Red-tailed cuckoo bee

Bombus rupestris

Big black bee, long body with orange/red tail, dark wings.
Wild Bees Placeholder
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  • Big bee with long body and dark wings.
  • Thin hair and visible chitin.
  • Females have round legs with short hairs.
  • Males have pale-yellow bands and fluffy orange/red hairs on legs.
Bumblebee, Cuckoo
Red Tail
Less Common
Widespread
Cuckoo
Bumblebee, Cuckoo
Red Tail
Less Common
Widespread
Cuckoo

Red-tailed cuckoo bee

Bombus rupestris

More common in south of England - moving northwards.
Wild Bees Placeholder

Likes a thistle.

  • Brambles
  • Dandelions
  • Oxeye daisies
  • Thistles
crocus Crocus
lavendar Lavendar
thistle Thistle

Nest

  • Underground.
  • Use red-tailed bumblebee nests.

Distribution

  • Widespread in south of England.
  • Rarer further north and west.
  • Moving northwards.