Invertebrates
Common Carder Bee
Bombus pascuorum
On a late-summer comfrey flower, a common carder bee probes the tubular blooms, its ginger fur glowing in the low sun.
Overview
The common carder bee, Bombus pascuorum, is a ginger-brown bumblebee of gardens, meadows, and hedgerows across Europe and northern Asia. Its carding of moss, above-ground nests, and long season make it one of the most familiar and widespread bumblebees.
A bee that thatches its nest
By combing moss and grass into a loose thatch, the common carder bee builds a hidden, insulated home in the middle of a grass tussock.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common.
Common Carder Bee: common questions
Why is it called a carder bee?
It combs moss, grass, and leaves into a thatch to cover its nest, like wool being carded.
What does the common carder bee look like?
It has a gingery-brown thorax and a paler abdomen with darker bands, and no white or red tail.
Where does it nest?
It nests in tussocks of long grass, in leaf litter, and in old rodent nests, often at or just above ground level.
Where is the common carder bee found?
It lives in gardens, meadows, hedgerows, and woodland edges across Europe and northern Asia.