Alpine bumblebee
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Alpine bumblebee ( Bombus alpinus ) |
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| Bombus alpinus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
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The Alpine bumblebee ( Bombus alpinus ) is a bee from the genus of the bumblebee ( Bombus ). In Germany it is shown in the Red List of Threatened Species as "critically endangered" (Category 2).
features
The animals reach a body length of 22 to 26 mm (queen), 14 to 16 mm (worker) or 15 to 17 mm (drone). Their wingspan is 32 to 36 mm (queen), 22 to 26 mm (worker) and 23 to 26 mm (drone). Their shaggy, hairy body has a black basic color, the thorax often has a gray collar near the head, especially in drones. The third to sixth tergite on the abdomen is orange-red in color. They are similar to the mountain forest bumblebee ( Bombus wurflenii ), but differ in their larger and stronger physique and the second tergite of the abdomen, which is also orange-red in the similar species. Their head is long and their proboscis are medium in length.
Occurrence
The species occurs in the Alps at altitudes from 1600 to 3100 meters.
Way of life
The Alpine bumblebee forms underground nests in abandoned mouse nests with 100 to 150 individuals. Queens are looking for nesting opportunities from late April to late May. Workers appear from mid-May to late September. New generation drones and queens fly from mid-August to late September. The species is counted among the pollen storers, which means that the collected pollen and nectar are stored in disused brood cells. The most important food plants include alpine helmets ( Bartsia alpina ), alpine thistle ( Cirsium spinosissimum ), rust-leaved alpine rose ( Rhododendron ferrugineum ), devil's claws ( Phyteuma ) and primroses ( Primula ). The queen can be recognized in flight by a deep humming sound. After founding a nest, it flies even at temperatures around freezing point.
swell
- Eberhard von Hagen, Ambros Aichhorn: Bumblebees. determine, settle, multiply, protect. Fauna Verlag, Nottuln 2003, ISBN 3-935980-28-0
Web links
- Bombus alpinus at Fauna Europaea
- Bombus alpinus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Posted by: Cederberg, B., Michez, D., Nieto, A., Radchenko, V., Rasmont, P. & Roberts, S., 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2014.