Bombus sylvarum
Forest Bumblebee Queen (Bombus sylvarum )
The forest bumblebee (Bombus sylvarum ) is a state-forming insect species belonging to the genus of humble-bees. There is a total of 48 bumblebee species found in Europe.
Occurrence
The forest Bumblebee is widespread throughout Europe to the southern Fennoscandia, it occurs throughout Germany, but is rare in the north. The name "Forest Bumblebee" is misleading in that it just does not live in the forest. It inhabits forest edges, park -like terrain, including gardens ( orchards ) meadows, ditches and embankments. She prefers the lowlands, but occurs in mountains up to heights of 1400 m.
Appearance
Forest bumblebees show pastel yellow, brown and orange tones, but have fewer strong color contrasts than other bumblebee species. On the rear near the head and thorax dark, they have two yellowish brown transverse bands, have a bright yellowish-gray thorax underside. The abdomen is black in the front half and hairy in the rear orange and contributes to the segment trailing edges white to light gray hair tying. The head is long. Workers are 10-15 mm, 12-14 mm drones and the queen 16-18 mm long. The wingspan is 29-32 mm with the Queen, at the Worker 21-27 mm and 23-26 mm of the drone. The length of the trunk is at the queen 12-14 mm, 10-12 mm, the worker and the drone 9-11 mm. Queen and workers show a seemingly nervous flight. Queen and workers have a strikingly high and strong buzz.
Food
The food of the forest bumblebees consists of the nectar and pollen of various plants.
Way of life
The life of a forest Hummel people is one year; it overwinters only the fertilized queen. From the beginning of April, the flight time of the Queen begins; Jung- forest bumblebees fly from the end of July and drones in mid-July. Flight time lasts until the end of October. Nests of forest bumblebees are often found underground in mice nests, but also above ground in the herb layer, with tufts of grass, in Eichhorn Kobeln. A forest bumblebee colony consists of about 80 to 150 animals and a queen.