Buff-tailed Bumblebee ( Bombus lucorum )

Sunday, always a quiet relaxed day, punctuated only by a trip into town for something we need for tomorrow.  As we left there was a sleepy bumblebee on the stonecrop.  I say sleepy but it was probably "grounded" by the cool temperature.  When we got back it had moved a little into abetter position for photography.

Originally I had this one down as a Buff-tailed bumblebee, as I have been told by somebody who knows a lot more about bees than I do, even the slightest discolouration at the junction between the black and the "white" made it a buff-tail.  Now examining the photo again I have decided it is a White-tail.

The species is widespread throughout Europe and is noticeably early in coming out of hibernation.  Just to make things more difficult it belongs to the B lucorum complex, three species that can not be separated visually.