Bumblebee species catalogue – simple version – B

How to identify the species of bumblebee according to this catalogue

You'll have a look at the bumblebee, or even better, take some photographs.

It is necessary for them to be see the following body parts:

• Head
• chest
• Bottom
• Wings
• If possible, a side view as well 

For identification purposes look at \[noun] step by step:

• Bottom and body colour
• on the main body colours (black/brown/...)
• for colours and the number of coloured stripes

Find the relevant part of the catalogue  and continue your search within it – compare with your sample.

For some species, a number of colour variants occur, but find them in one group with the basic variant.
For completeness, we are also including bumblebees. However, we are keeping them in a separate group.

Helpful hints:

• If it is spring, you will first encounter queens, then workers, and only then bumblebee males in nature.
• Early species of bumblebees appear first, followed by thermophilic and rarer species.
• Only later will you encounter malesi bumblebees. 
• Males are colour-variable and often differ from females, so our catalogue is sorted by females and workers.
• You are more likely to encounter abundant and widespread species than rare ones, see Red Book 2017

This will give you a basic species determination. It is approximate, but the accuracy is sufficient.