Photo: Hectonichus / CC BY-SA 3.0

Bombus pyrenaeus

Pyrenean Bumblebee

A small alpine bumblebee (10–15 mm) with a black body, yellow collar and scutellum, and a white tail. It has a short face and tongue. It occurs at high elevations (1500–3000 m) in the Alps, foraging on alpine flowers such as thyme, clovers, and asters. It nests underground in abandoned rodent burrows, with small colonies of fewer than 60 workers. In Switzerland it is locally common in alpine meadows above treeline and is classified as Least Concern. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).