A Desirable Tongue

Back in the 19th Century some local farmers grew acres of red clover, thinking the seed when sent back to Britain would make their fortunes. However, no seed was formed. The reason was there were no pollinators. They imported a batch of earth bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). Still no seeds. Then they discovered that the earth bumblebees’ tongues were not long enough to do the job. Enter the large garden bumblebee, (Bombus ruderatus), with a tongue almost as long as its own body. Success!

The garden bumblebee has a thicker coat than its earth counterpart, and it is a lighter yellow. The tongue is not obvious, but you can see part of it in this photo, curving down toward its chest. The other difference is that, while there are hundreds of the earth bumblebees around the garden from spring to autumn, garden bumblebees are few in number and are seen only in late spring and early summer. Small garden bumblebees, (Bombus hortorum), have a narrow window in the middle of summer.