Heath Bumble Bee
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cairngorms National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

10 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
27 In all 3 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Heath Bumble Bee

The heath humble-bee or small heath bumblebee, Bombus jonellus, is a species of bumblebee, widely distributed in Europe and northern Asia, as well as northern North America. A fairly small bumblebee, it has body lengths around 16 mm (0.63 in) (queen) and 12 mm (0.47 in) (worker and male). The queen has an average wingspan of 29 mm (1.1 in). The face and proboscis are short. Females (queens and workers) have a predominantly black abdomen with a yellow collar, the first and sometimes second terga yellow, and a white tail. The face is black, occasionally with a patch of yellow fur on the top. Males are similar, but with more yellow; the yellow collar continues on the ventral side, the two first terga are always yellow, and much more yellow fur is found on the face. However, darker forms of the females are seen, as well as forms (sometimes considered subspecies) that differ in the amount of yellow in the fur, and with brownish hairs on the white tail. On the Orkney and the Hebrides, a form exists where the males have red tails instead of white.... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
3 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Heath Bumble Bee in Cairngorms National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Bumble Bee sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 156th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Heath Bumble Bee in Cairngorms National Park?

August and September

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Bumble Bee in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Heath Bumble Bee?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heath Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cairngorms National Park the best place to see a Heath Bumble Bee?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Heath Bumble Bee sightings, Cairngorms National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, under 5%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Heath Bumble Bee live in Cairngorms National Park?

Same genus: Bombus

The closest relatives of the Heath Bumble Bee that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Mountain Bumble Bee (about 30%), Common Carder Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Early Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Heath Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Heath Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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