[1][5] It is not found, though, in the Mediterranean, or the steppes of eastern Europe, only in the mountains of the Iberian Peninsula and not south of Tuscany in Italy.

[6] The bumblebee was first observed in United Kingdom on 17 July 2001 close to the village of Landford in Wiltshire and has since been spreading widely.

[11] B. hypnorum likes to live in forests, but in places where there are not as many trees, it favours human dwellings.

It likes to live in holes and walls in the trees unlike other members of the Bombus genus.

This species stores pollen in separate cells, and feeds each larva individually.

It visits an enormous range of flowering plants such as Rhododendron, cherry, grape hyacinth and, in the north, blueberry and Vaccinium.

[14] Compared to Bombus terrestris, B. hypnorum has a weaker caste system in addition to a smaller overall colony.

An important determinant in caste hierarchy is how much food the larva receive during its development.

When they are older, they are seen to organize themselves by using the information they obtain from cues in odor pattern and arrange themselves into groups this way.

The male would approach a queen and then hover in the air for a few seconds using his antennae to inspect the female.

The female workers are more genetically related to each other than to their brothers because males are haploid, giving an identical set of chromosomes to their daughters.

[19] In these colonies, the queen has sex ratio control so the offspring are equally male and female.

[13] They maintain a symbiotic relationship with phoretic mites, which they transport, and which probably feed on mushrooms or nest parasites.

B. norvegicus (Norwegian Cuckoo Bumblebee) is a social parasite that affects B. hypnorum.

[20] B. hypnorum has the biggest preference for the flowering trees Crateagus monogyna and Prunus spinosa compared to other types of bumble bees.

Also compared to other bees, B. hypnorum has less of a preference for Brassica naptus, Glechoma hederacea and Lamium album.

[21] The tree bumblebee is generally quite docile, but if disturbed, it can defend its nest proactively and it has been known to sting people whom it perceives as a threat.