Nigel,

they are variable, take a look at the NHM Bumblebee charts.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/_key_colour_brit\
ish/ck_cuckoos.html#sylvestris

Janet

--- In bwars@yahoogroups.com, "gateside.gilligan@..." <gateside.gilligan@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Janet
>
> You may well be right, but my possibly flawed reasoning before was thus:
> 1) I'd already identified a female B sylvestris in the garden, which
> had a quite broad black band, followed by a tiny brown tip to the tail.
> 2) But this specimen has no obvious black band towards the tail, but has
> an extensive pale band, immediately followed by a more ginger colour
> than brown
> 3) I have one photo that seems to indicate that the last 2 abdominal
> segs are this colour, not just the tip
> 4) the pale yellow is quite extensive at the top of the abdomen too.
>
> This seems to not comply with my description of B sylvestris male, which
> ought to be fairly like the female.
>
> Is my reasoning still wrong, or have I been caught out by an odd
> variation?
>
> Regards
> Nigel
>