B. terrestris is common in a large part of Europe and has been successfully domesticated since 1987. Bombus terrestris is the only bumblebee species with a Mediterranean-centred distribution: the only country of the region from which it is absent is Egypt. It is not restricted to this region, however: to the north, it extends to the latitude of Stockholm and east, to the Altai but it is absent from the alpine stage, the deserts and the arid, subdesertic steppes. Bombus terrestris evolved into well differentiated subspecies (audax in British isles, canariensis in Canary Islands, sassaricus in Sardinia, xanthopus in Corsica, africanus in N. Africa, dalmatinus in the SE Europe and Near-Orient, lusitanicus in Iberian peninsula, terrestris in the remaining W. and Central Europe and in S. Scandinavia). Some of the insular subspecies are that particular that they have been considered as true species by some authors.
Please remark the recent data from Azores islands (Isl. Flores, leg. P. Noger 2010), S-Iran (Shiraz, leg. N. Shagei, 2007), N-Sweden not far from the Arctic Circle (Ragvaldsträsk, leg. E. Sjödin, 2008). All data from Lybia are ancient (Cyrenaica, Gribodo 1925).
P. Rasmont 28.II.2011