Bombus barbutellus

Family: ApidaeGenus: Bombusnative in Germany

native in Germany

native_regions-Cache · 85 %

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Plants

visited

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Interactions

documented

About this species

Bombus barbutellus is a cuckoo bumblebee belonging to the family Apidae. It is an obligate inquiline, meaning it does not produce its own workers but instead takes over nests of other bumblebee species. The species is present in Great Britain, and adults are typically on the wing from June to August.

Ecological network

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Visited plants

Yearly cycle

Adults are active from June to August. The species follows a univoltine cycle, with emergence timed to locate and usurp host bumblebee nests. Once inside, the female relies on the host colony to rear her offspring, and the adult flight season concludes by the end of August.

Merkmale

Ernährung & Verhalten

Food

obligate inquiline

Generationen/Jahr

univoltin

Scientific profile

A univoltine wild bee, Bombus barbutellus produces one generation each year. It is an obligate inquiline; females enter the nests of other Bombus species to lay eggs, depending on the host’s workforce for brood care. The female’s inter-tegular distance measures 5.22 mm, and the tongue reaches 10.4 mm. Flight activity has been recorded from June to August, coinciding with the period of host nest exploitation.

Visited plants

29 plants are visited by this species

Epilobium parviflorumCarduus nutans subsp. nutansCirsium palustre Trifolium pratenseOriganum vulgareTrifolium hybridum Glechoma hederaceaAjuga reptansDipsacus fullonum Rubus fruticosus Carduus crispusCentaurea nigra subsp. nigraScabiosa columbaria subsp. pratensisDipsacus pilosusCirsium vulgare subsp. vulgareSuccisa pratensis Chamaenerion angustifoliumArctium lappaDigitalis purpurea Knautia arvensisMalva sylvestrisCentaurea scabiosa Cirsium acauleTrifolium repens subsp. repensKnautia drymeia subsp. drymeiaBrassica napus subsp. napusVicia faba Trifolium incarnatumCarduus acanthoides subsp. acanthoides

Sources & data origin

•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)

•Neff et al. (2025) — Swiss Moth Traits, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14506883 (CC BY)

•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)

•EBHD — European Biodiversity Hub Database v2025, Zenodo, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17107215 (CC BY 4.0)

All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →