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Tree bumblebee

Tree bumblebee

Bombus hypnorum
Bee
The tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) is a short-tongued bumblebee of the subgenus Pyrobombus, identified by its uniformly ginger thorax, black abdomen, and white tail. Native to continental Europe and temperate Asia — from Scandinavia and the Pyrenean foothills east to Kamchatka — it colonised Great Britain from 2001 and Ireland by 2014 in one of the fastest natural insect range expansions recorded in the region. It nests characteristically above ground in aerial cavities — bird boxes, eaves, and roof spaces — rather than underground like most bumblebees. In gardens it forages broadly across many flowering plants, and is an important visitor to raspberry and bramble (Rubus), making it a useful pollinator in fruit-growing gardens across Europe.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
0 essential relationships / 4 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 0
Forage/pollination links: 4
Shelter links: 0
Relationship roles: 1
AM
CO
FI
FL
American red raspberry
Supporting / Nectar plants
Wikipedia and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust document the tree bumblebee as an important visitor to raspberry (Rubus idaeus).
Comfrey
Supporting / Nectar plants
Short-tongued, so visits to comfrey's deep tubular flowers are opportunistic rather than routine.
Field scabious
Supporting / Nectar plants
Field scabious's shallow open heads are accessible to this short-tongued bee.
Flowering raspberry
Supporting / Nectar plants
The open, shallow Rubus odoratus flowers suit this short-tongued bee where it is grown in European gardens.
Open the designer preview
Plants in the catalog
Nectar plants · 4
American red raspberry
Rubus idaeus
Documented
Wikipedia and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust document the tree bumblebee as an important visitor to raspberry (Rubus idaeus).
Comfrey
Symphytum officinale
Plausible
Short-tongued, so visits to comfrey's deep tubular flowers are opportunistic rather than routine.
Field scabious
Knautia arvensis
Plausible
Field scabious's shallow open heads are accessible to this short-tongued bee.
Flowering raspberry
Rubus odoratus
Plausible
The open, shallow Rubus odoratus flowers suit this short-tongued bee where it is grown in European gardens.
Pollen plants · 1
American red raspberry
Rubus idaeus
Documented
As a polylectic bee it collects raspberry pollen alongside nectar.
Range
Widespread across continental Europe and temperate Asia east to Kamchatka; first recorded in Britain on 17 July 2001 in Landford, Wiltshire (near Southampton) and now established throughout England, Wales, and Scotland (first recorded 2013), with Ireland colonised from autumn 2014 (first record: Cushenden, Antrim). Its urban and garden affinity has accelerated spread; also recorded in Iceland from 2008.

Sources & citations

Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). Retrieved 2026, June 30, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/tree-bumblebee
Sources for wildlife facts
13 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
Tree bumblebee — Wikipedia
Identification, the continental range and rapid British/Irish colonisation, aerial-cavity nesting, and named forage including raspberry.
Backs 5 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Foraging
Nesting
Tree bumblebee — Bumblebee Conservation Trust
British spread, above-ground nesting, garden foraging, and key forage plants including raspberry.
Backs 4 fields
Range
Nesting
Foraging
Garden habitat
Bombus hypnorum — BWARS
British colonisation dates, nesting biology, life cycle, and status.
Backs 4 fields
Range
Nesting
Lifecycle
Conservation status