BOMB US PRATORUM 165 



5. BOMBUS PRATORUM, Linnaeus. 



Early-nesting Humble-bee. 



QUEEN. Small; length 15-17 mm., expanse 28-32 

 mm. 



Head and thorax black, with a yellow band across the 

 front of the thorax. Abdomen black, with a yellow band on 

 the 2nd segment, often interrupted in the middle, and with 

 the 5th and 6th segments, sometimes also the 4th, red. 

 The black hairs are often tipped with white. 



Dark specimens have the yellow band on the thorax 

 more or less interrupted in the middle, and the yellow 

 band on the abdomen much interrupted or absent. 



Coat uneven. Compared with terrestris the difference 

 is especially noticeable in the yellow band on the 2nd 

 segment of the abdomen, the hairs constituting this band 

 being unequal in length and decumbent, while in terrestris 

 they are equal and erect. 



Worker. Length 10-14 mm. 



Coloured like the queen, but the yellow band on the 

 abdomen is often absent. 



MALE. Length 11-13 mm., expanse 23-26 mm. 



Hairs on the face and on the top of the head yellow. 

 Thorax black, with a broad yellow band in front and some- 

 times a few yellow hairs behind. Abdomen black, with 

 the 1st and 2nd segments yellow, and the 5th, 6th, and 7th 

 segments, sometimes also the 4th, red. The black hairs 

 are often tipped with white. 



Dark specimens have the yellow on the 1st and 2nd 

 segments of the abdomen obscured or absent, and only the 

 6th and 7th segments red. 



Coat long and shaggy. 



Antennae rather short ; length of flagellum, 5 mm. 



Armature like that of B. jonellus and lapponicus. 



B. pratorum is a very common species in England 

 and Scotland, but there is no record of it from Ire- 



