Photo: Arnstein Staverløkk / CC BY 3.0

Bombus wurflenii

Forest Bumblebee

A medium-large bumblebee (16–20 mm) with a distinctive colour pattern: the thorax is entirely orange-brown with no black band, and the abdomen is black with a broad orange-brown tip. It has a relatively short tongue. It is a montane and alpine species found in mountain forests and subalpine meadows, foraging on bilberry (Vaccinium), raspberry, rhododendron, and thistles. It nests underground in abandoned rodent burrows or cavities under moss-covered roots, forming small colonies. In Switzerland it occurs in the Alps and Jura in montane to subalpine zones from about 800 m to 2400 m, and is common in suitable habitats. It is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the Swiss Red List.