Species Focus - Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola)

From late March to mid September the bilberry bumblebee can be seen, predominantly in hilly and mountainous areas but also sometimes in gardens and down to sea level, particularly adjacent to areas where its main food plants grow. Food plants are mainly species of Vaccinium, Erica, Calluna, Trifolium, and Lotus, although in spring the Bilberry bumblebee can sometimes be seen foraging on willow and a variety of garden plants.

Early and late in the season most individuals will be large queens whereas in the middle of the season most will be smaller workers and males.

The Bilberry bumblebee is probably quite widely underrecorded. In order to monitor its status over time it would be most helpful to have a better understanding of its current distribution. It is a relatively easy species to identify, having an extensive area of orangy-red hair on the abdomen and yellow bands on the front and rear of the thorax.

Please submit your records, ideally with photos, to the Cofnod ORS or the LERC Wales App.