Bee Alert! A KEY to Identifying Irish Bumblebees

Here in Ireland, we have 20 species of bumblebee. Telling them apart can be quite difficult for amateur naturalists, but hopefully this key can help you distinguish between the Irish Bumblebees!

If you do find a bumblebee and think you have successfully identified it, you should send a photo of it into the National Biodiversity Data Center (NBDC). 

Also available from the NBDC are handy swatches for Bumblebee Identification available for €6.

Before you can start identifying your bumblebees you’ll need to know your insect body parts. The thorax is the middle segment of insects, and is the part from which the wings and legs are attached. The abdomen is the large back part of the insect and is divided into a variable number of segments.