Bug FAQHeath Bumble Bee
Bombus jonellus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Heath Humble-bee, White Tail Bumble Bee
The heath bumblebee is a small species, with queens about 16 mm long and workers or males around 12 mm; queens have a wingspan near 29 mm. Females have a mostly black abdomen with a yellow collar and a white tail, while males show more yellow on the body and face. It lives in gardens, meadows, heath and moorland across most of Europe, northern Asia, and parts of Canada and Alaska, nesting above or below ground with up to 120 workers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males are similar but have more yellow, including a yellow collar on the underside, the first two segments always yellow, and more yellow facial hair.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Queens are about 16 mm long, while workers and males are roughly 12 mm. The queen's wingspan averages 29 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in gardens, meadows, heath and moorland.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Nests can hold 50 to 120 workers and may be located above ground or underground. In suitable climates, like southern England, it can produce two broods in a season.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
When the climate permits, it may have two broods per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes most of Europe and much of northern Asia. It also occurs in Canada east to Hudson Bay and in Alaska.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where might I see a heath bumblebee?
Look for them in gardens, meadows, heath and moorland across Europe, northern Asia, and parts of Canada and Alaska.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_jonellus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.