Bumble Bee with white bum.

[brianholland]

I was sitting in a bird hide when this chap landed on the window sill.

I grabbed my Canon G11 and took this photo but I have no idea about it's identity but have had a guess after looking in my insect books,
Identification please.

[Matt Smith]

My initial thought would be to suggest a Bombus lucorum worker, I can't see any "ginger" between the white of the tail and black of the abdomen.

To confirm a B.soroeensis, we would need to see a shot of the abdomen from above to check the extent of the yellow abdominal band (is it broken, and by how much) and, to be really sure, a close up of the outer surface of the mandible to check for various bumps in the right place.

[brianholland]

Originally Posted by Matt Smith

My initial thought would be to suggest a Bombus lucorum worker, I can't see any "ginger" between the white of the tail and black of the abdomen.

To confirm a B.soroeensis, we would need to see a shot of the abdomen from above to check the extent of the yellow abdominal band (is it broken, and by how much) and, to be really sure, a close up of the outer surface of the mandible to check for various bumps in the right place.

Thank you so much for this helpful suggestion.

Sorry cannot add any more details as it was snap shot by my wife who is the photographer.

Regards,

Brian.