DSC_1582 Short-haired bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus latreillellus) distinctive 'pale' male. Mainly found in the drier, colder, inland part of the South Island, this is the rarest of the four bumblebee species introduced into NZ from England in 1885 and 1906. Small numbers remain at a few locations in the central South Island. Sadly, this species became extinct in England 1989, and we now host the last remaining representatives of the genotype of B.subterraneus which once ranged over most of England. Mackenzie Country *
DSC_1620 Short-haired bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus latreillellus) female - the tattered wing edges indicate that she is a worker who has been on the wing for some time. Mainly found in the drier, colder, inland part of the South Island, this is the rarest of the four bumblebee species introduced into NZ from England in 1885 and 1906. Small numbers remain at a few locations in the central South Island. Sadly, this species became extinct in England 1989, and we now host the last remaining representatives of the genotype of B.subterraneus which once ranged over most of England. Mackenzie Country *
DSC_8766 Short-haired bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus latreillellus) recently emerged queen. Mainly found in the drier, colder, inland part of the South Island, this is the rarest of the four bumblebee species introduced into NZ from England in 1885 and 1906. Small numbers remain at a few locations in the central South Island. Sadly, this species became extinct in England 1989, and we now host the last remaining representatives of the genotype of B.subterraneus which once ranged over most of England. Mackenzie Country *
