On the Orkney and the Hebrides, a form exists where the males have red tails instead of white.

[3] The bumblebee visits various food sources, such as clover, bird's-foot trefoil, cowberry, thistles, and many others.

In the west, it is common from Iceland in the north to the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain.

It is found beyond the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and Russia, where it is continuous north of 55ºN, more uneven south of it.

[2] In United Kingdom, it is common in the south-east, in East Anglia, northern Scotland including the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland.