Red-Shanked Bumble Bee

Red-Shanked Bumble Bee

Bombus ruderarius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Hohe Tauern National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

9 Verified sightings at Hohe Tauern National Park From 2019 to 2026
15 In all 2 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee

Bombus ruderarius, commonly known as the red-shanked carder bee or red-shanked bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee found in Eurasia. Though sometimes mistaken for Bombus lapidarius, Bombus ruderarius varies slightly in appearance from B. lapidarius in several ways. Bombus ruderarius is a relatively small bumblebee with a wide abdomen, an oblong face, and a fairly long tongue.

The queen has an average length of 17 mm (0.67 in) and a wingspan of 32 mm (1.3 in), while the other castes are somewhat smaller; the workers have an average length of 15 mm (0.59 in) and the males 13 mm (0.51 in). Their colour is prominently black, with a red tail; among males, however, a lighter form exists with yellow-green hairs on the thorax and the first two terga (abdominal segments). The corbicula (pollen basket) on the hind legs of females (queens and workers) is covered with yellow-red hair.

The nest is constructed of grass or moss, on or slightly below ground, and typically contains 50 to 100 workers. Often, old mouse nests in open grassland and scrubs are used. The species can, however, also appear in sparsely built-up urban areas as gardens and wasteland. Food sources... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
2 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee in Hohe Tauern National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sighting in Hohe Tauern National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 165 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee in Hohe Tauern National Park?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee in Hohe Tauern National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and September–October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Hohe Tauern National Park the best place to see a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sightings, Hohe Tauern National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pyrénées National Park (France, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee live in Hohe Tauern National Park?

Same genus: Bombus

The closest relatives of the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee that you can see in Hohe Tauern National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Common Carder Bumble Bee (about 20%), Early Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Broken-Belted Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Hohe Tauern National Park (9 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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