Red-Shanked Bumble Bee

Red-Shanked Bumble Bee

Bombus ruderarius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Pyrénées National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

6 Verified sightings at Pyrénées National Park From 2019 to 2026
15 In all 2 parks
February 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 Pyrénées National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 1026th most-seen of the 1277 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

February and June

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and July–January, the lowest months.

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 Pyrénées National Park the best place to see a Red-Shanked Bumble Bee?

2nd of 2

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Red-Shanked Bumble Bee sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 10%).

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

Same genus: Bombus

The closest relatives of the Red-Shanked Bumble Bee that you can see in Pyrénées National Park (genus Bombus, Bumble Bees) are Common Carder Bumble Bee (about 20%), White-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 10%) and Black-Backed Bumble Bee (about 10%), 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 Pyrénées National Park (6 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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