About the Broken-Belted Bumble Bee
The broken-belted bumblebee or Ilfracombe bumblebee (Bombus soroeensis) is a species of bumblebee present in most of Europe and parts of Asia. This relatively small bumblebee has a rather oblong face and a proboscis of medium length. The body of the female is black with two yellow bands, one at the collar, one at the second tergite (abdominal segment). The latter often has black hair in the middle, thus dividing it into two. In males, the yellow abdominal band is broader, and usually covers most of the first tergite, as well as the second. On both sexes, the tail is white, often mixed with orange-yellow hairs. On the northern Scottish form, the female usually has an entirely white tail. Melanic forms can be found on the European continent. The bee reaches an average length of 16 mm (0.63 in) (queen, wingspan 30 mm (1.2 in)), 12 mm (0.47 in) (worker), and 13 mm (0.51 in) (male).
The nest, which at most has about 80 to 150 workers, is usually underground. At least in Britain, the bumblebee seems to favour uplands, heaths, and grasslands. Favourite flowers are clovers, ling, harebell and Scabiosa as bird's-foot trefoils.
In Eurasia, this... Wikipedia →