A Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, on a Buddleja flower spike in my garden.
The Common Carder is a species of Bumblebee, and the only one of the three all-ginger carder species to be widespread throughout most of the UK. This species often has black hairs on its abdomen which can make it look striped or grizzled.
This species starts flying early in the year, and can still be seen in some parts of the country as late as November.
It is one of the ‘long-tongued bees’ who specialise on tubular flowers such as heather, clover and lavender. It can be found in a variety of habitats, provided there are plenty of flowers for it to feed on.
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My original Common Carder Bee photo on which this image is based is also available to purchase as a stock photo from iStock.
