BOMBUS LUCORUM 161 



B. lucorum is common over almost the entire 

 kingdom, and is especially abundant in the north, 

 but there is no record of it from Shetland. In 

 the north of Scotland and the Orkney Islands the 

 queens are as large as those of terrestris. This is 

 the variety magnus of Vogt. 



Specimens intermediate between terrestris and 

 lucorum are occasionally met with ; probably most 

 of these are hybrids. 



The queens appear in April and May, and the 

 colonies are established and mature earlier than the 

 majority of those of terrestris. The nests are 

 almost always under the ground, generally with a 

 shorter tunnel than those of terrestris. I once 

 found a nest on the surface under a box, and another 

 in a stack of straw. The workers number 200 and 

 more in populous nests ; they are milder tempered 

 than those of terrestris and seldom attack the dis- 

 turber. The comb resembles that of terrestris. 

 As the queen grows old, unlike the terrestris queen, 

 she loses very little of her hair. 



The differentiation between terrestris and luco- 

 rum is maintained on the Continent, where lucorum 

 is found mo.re abundantly in the north and in 

 mountains. 



M 



