BOMB US RUDERATUS 173 



Section II. Pocket-makers. 

 Sub-section I. Pollen-primers. 



9. BOMBUS RUDERATUS, Fabricius. 

 Large Garden Humble-bee. 



Synonyms : subterraneus (Linn.), according to Smith ; 

 harrisellus, Kirby. 



Closely allied to B. Jiortoruvi. 



QUEEN. Large ; larger than hortortcm ; length 21-23 

 mm., expanse 40-43 mm. 



The lightest examples are coloured very like Jiortorum, 

 namely, with two yellow bands on the thorax, the base of 

 the abdomen yellow, and the tail white ; but the yellow 

 bands are of a slightly deeper and duller tint than in 

 Jiortorum, and the yellow band at the back of the thorax is 

 approximately of the same width in the middle as the yellow 

 band on the front of the thorax. The yellow on the 1st 

 segment of the abdomen is more or less interrupted in 

 the middle by black, and does not spread on to the 2nd 

 segment ; the edge of the 3rd segment is white at the 

 sides only, and the 5 th segment has often a few black 

 hairs about the middle. 



In darker specimens the abdomen has little or no 

 trace of yellow on the 1st segment, and the white of the 

 tail is often dingy. This variety closely resembles 

 B. latreillellus, the description of which see. 



Still darker specimens have the yellow bands on the 

 thorax narrow and dusky, and the white of the tail 

 brownish and displaced by black on the middle or whole 

 of the 5 th segment. 



In the next stage of darkening almost all trace of the 

 yellow thoracic bands has disappeared, except sometimes 

 a pale round spot a little to the front of each wing, and 

 the abdomen is black with the 4th segment brown. 



