Bee Identification Guide

Identifying Bees isn’t easy, there are over 200 different species of bee and some look very similar, even for an entomologist identifying bees isn’t always very straightforward. It would help if you took into account things such as the bee’s habitat, the time of year, their size, colouring and so many other things.

Bombus Pratorum

The Early Bumblebee

A small (one of the smallest) bumblebee that can be found all across the UK and is one of the first bees to come out of hibernation.

Bombus Lucorum

white tailed bumblebee in watercolour

Bombus Hortorum

Bombus Hypnorum

Bombus Jonellus

Bombus Lapidarius

Red-Tailed Bumblebee

Bombus Lapidarius

Red-Tailed Cuckoo bee

Bombus Ruderarius

Red-shanked carder bee

Bombus Pascuorum

Common Carder bee

Bombus Muscorum

Moss carder bee

Bombus Humilis

Brown-Banded Carder bee

Bombus Sylvarum

Shrill carder bee

Apis Mellifera

Melecta Albifrons

Common Mourning bee

Anthophora Plumipes

Hairy-Footed Flower Bee

Megachilidae

Chelostoma Campanularum

Small Scissor bee

Andrena Fulva

Tawny Mining Bee

Andrena Cineraria

Ashy Mining bee

Andrena Haemorrhoa

Orange-Tailed Mining bee

Osmia Bicornis

Red Mason Bee

Eucerini

Long-Horned bee

Bombus Fervidus

Golden Northern Bee

Amegilla Cingulata

Blue-Banded Bee