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
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.
Plants in the catalog
Nectar plants · 4
Wikipedia and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust document the tree bumblebee as an important visitor to raspberry (Rubus idaeus).
Short-tongued, so visits to comfrey's deep tubular flowers are opportunistic rather than routine.
Field scabious's shallow open heads are accessible to this short-tongued bee.
The open, shallow Rubus odoratus flowers suit this short-tongued bee where it is grown in European gardens.
Pollen plants · 1
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 record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/tree-bumblebee
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
Tree bumblebee - Wikipedia
Identification, the continental range and rapid British/Irish colonisation, aerial-cavity nesting, and named forage including raspberry.
Tree bumblebee - Bumblebee Conservation Trust
British spread, above-ground nesting, garden foraging, and key forage plants including raspberry.
Bombus hypnorum - BWARS
British colonisation dates, nesting biology, life cycle, and status.
GBIF: Bombus hypnorum
GBIF matches Bombus hypnorum as an accepted species (usageKey 1340513), an exact name match.
iNaturalist: Bombus hypnorum
iNaturalist taxon 61803 is the active species Bombus hypnorum, the tree bumble bee.