Can anyone identify this bee?

[The3rdWatermelon]

I rescued an ENORMOUS bee from drowning in a water bucket yesterday. I hope the photos work to show it, but it was mostly black, with dark yellow/orange stripes at its neck and waist (although I’m not sure if bees have necks or waists!) and a dark orange/brown patch on its tail. It seemed to have quite a big chunky head, and it was so heavy it kept bending leaves when I tried to put it down. It was maybe 4-5 cm long and maybe 1cm wide in its body. Found in Yorkshire, if that makes a difference to what it’s likely to be.

I’d love to know what kind of bee it was, and thought this section might be the right place to ask.

It was swimming pretty feebly when I found it. I fished it out with the edge of a plastic trug so as not to get stung or risk crushing its wings. I popped it on a comfrey plant as that seems popular with bees and it crawled about in the sun for maybe ten minutes and then flew away. Is it likely to survive?

Love bumbles! My bee book is still packed away unfortunately, but this link might help?
If it flew away I think it will probably be fine. You can give them a little drop of honey & water or sugar water to help boost them up (I even gave one sweet tea once cos it was all there was).

www.bumblebeeconservation.org/identification-tips/

Google 'Buff tailed bumble bee' did it look like that. I think that's what crash landed on the patio table today, span round really fast flying towards me before landing on the floor.
It was very cute. If bees can be cute?!

Looks like a bumblebee queen. Some species are already done for the year, looking to mate now , then snuggle down till next spring. Are there male bumblebees lounging around on alliums too?
Cant help you with species though, hopefully someone else can.

@Ooopsijustsnarted I think bumblebees can be very cute, especially when they appear tipsy and and bumble about the place

Bombus pratorum, Early bumble bee, if orange tail. And a queen, at that size.
www.bumblebeeconservation.org/red-tailed-bumblebees/early-bumblebee/

Not a red tailed bumble bee (B. lapidarius) because the queen doesn't have the yellow stripe. And not B. monticola unless you're quite high up in the Yorkshire Dales. And because the orange doesn't extend up far enough - B monticula looks like it's hitched its pants up under its armpits.

Yes, she'll be fine, once she's dried out.

Thank you everyone.

It looks like it was an early bumblebee queen. I hope she’ll be ok now! She was very impressive, so heavy and yet so delicate on her tiny feet at the same time.

There are lots of different bees on the plants I put her on. Quite a lot of ordinary bumblebees that I’m familiar with, I presume those are the males, and other types of bees too. Happily there seems to be a lot of them about this year, but they do seem to have a bit of a death wish. I’ve rescued at least one from the water tubs nearly every hot day (can’t cover them as they’re the horses’ drinking water).

Can you put some sticks in at one end, or drape some twiggy/climbing plants that arent hrmful to the horses. Anything that allows the bees to climb onto. Then they can launch up and fly away.

Quite a lot of ordinary bumblebees that I’m familiar with, I presume those are the males, The workers are females (Does that remind you of anything ? ) Males arise later in the season and appear to be solely for sex.