About the Common Carder Bumble Bee
Bombus pascuorum, the common carder bee, is a species of bumblebee present in most of Europe in a wide variety of habitats such as meadows, pastures, waste ground, ditches and embankments, roads, and field margins, as well as gardens and parks in urban areas and forests and forest edges. It is similar in appearance to Bombus muscorum, and is replacing that species in northern Britain.
The thorax of the common carder bee is either yellowish or reddish-brown in color. The hair of the first four abdominal segments is gray, while the hair of the fifth and sixth terga is yellowish or reddish-brown. The body length of queens ranges from 15 to 18 mm (0.59 to 0.71 in) in length. The body length of female workers ranges from 9 to 15 mm (0.35 to 0.59 in) in length. The body length of males range from 12 to 14 mm (0.47 to 0.55 in) in length. Queens measure 28 to 32 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) from wing to wing. Workers measure 24 to 27 mm (0.94 to 1.06 in) from wing to wing. Drones measure 24 to 27 mm (0.94 to 1.06 in) from wing to wing.
The head of the common carder bee is of medium length and the snout is long compared to other species of bumblebee. The snout of the queen ranges between... Wikipedia →