[1] The red-tailed bumblebee is typically distinguished by its black body with red markings around the abdomen.

Further, B. lapidarius tend to have a medium-sized proboscis, which is significant in that it allows the species to be a good pollinator.

[5] Bombus lapidarius is found throughout Europe, including Britain and Ireland, as well as parts of Greece,[6] Germany, Sweden and Finland.

B. lapidarius nests have been found in many different habitats, but the bees usually prefer open terrain to more heavily forested landscapes.

[9] Social bees, including Bombus lapidarius, are able to produce a great deal of heat due to the contraction of their thoracic flight muscles.

[12] Different populations in diverse locations (specifically Southern Italy, the Balkans, and Central-Eastern Europe) have experienced genetic differentiation in pheromone composition.

[14] As the red-tailed bumblebee is a member of the Hymenoptera order, the bee displays interesting sex allocation tactics.

In an almost barren, treeless basin in Germany, the study found nests of the red-tailed bumblebee as well as two other Bombus species within one hundred meters of each other.

Moreover, the red-tailed bumblebee displayed high “patch fidelity”, indicating that an individual bee was likely to return to a specific location.

Further, the study noted that body size appeared to be a factor in how far a bee might be willing to travel and concluded that foraging distance would differ most between species.

[17] This behavior may help lead to greater genetic variation, as populations appear to be diverse and avoid inbreeding.

[9] The queen makes a valiant effort to prevent this from happening, but the workers are frequently successful in their attempt.

Though the queen does not attempt to injure workers engaging in this activity, she does threaten them with her mandible or sometimes hits them with her head.

One study showed that these bees will stay at a particular flower or food source longer with increased levels of nectar available.

[18] Bombus lapidarius often experiences parasites, including different species from the Psithyrus subgenus which attempt to usurp its nest.

These cuckoo bees utilize different mechanisms via chemical recognition systems, including mimicry and repulsion, to invade B. lapidarius nests.

By mimicking both physical traits and chemical secretions, cuckoos have evolved to mimic B. lapidarius species in particular.

Cuckoos can produce a worker repellent, thus allowing the parasitic species to survive within the group.

For many plants, such as certain species of Viscaria, only bees and butterflies have proboscides long enough to pollinate effectively.

[3] For example, studies have showm that B. lapidarius have a high feeding density relative to other bee species.