Red-tailed Bumblebee (bombus lapidarius)

The red-tailed bumble bee is one of the seven common species of bumble bee found in the UK. It is easy to identify as it has a black body and red tail (as its name suggests). The males have a bit of yellow on their bodies too. There are two other bumblebees with similar markings, but this is the most common one by far. 

It is a social bee which means it lives in groups with other bees, not on its own. They tend to nest in underground burrows, under rocks or towards to base of dry stone walls. There are usually 100-300 worker bees in each colony. The worker bees are the female bees.