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Moss carder bee

Bombus muscorum

Basic Information

Common name: Moss carder bee
Scientific name: Bombus muscorum

Neat, short-haired pale-ginger bee.

Likes open grassland and the coastline.

Classification

Bee TypeBumblebee
StatusRare
Cuckoo StatusNon-cuckoo
Tail ColourGinger Tail

Keynotes

• No black hairs at all • Occasionally has a brown band

Nest Information

• Ground surface or just below surface • Lasts around 3 months • Less than 100 workers

Distribution

  • Rare
  • More common in the north and in Scotland

Castes

QUEEN

April
QUEEN diagram
No Photo
Ginger fluffy face All ginger
Thorax:All Ginger

WORKER

June
WORKER diagram
No Photo
Ginger fluffy face All ginger
Thorax:All Ginger

MALE

July
MALE diagram
No Photo
Ginger fluffy face All ginger
Thorax:All Ginger

Flower Preferences

Likes flowery grasslands, marshes and moors.

  • Bird's-foot trefoil
  • Knapweed
  • Red clover
  • Thistles
  • Vetches
  • White dead nettle