Basic Information
Common name: Red-shanked carder bumblebee
Scientific name: Bombus ruderarius
Black, red tail, red leg hairs.
Classification
Bee TypeBumblebee
StatusRare
Cuckoo StatusNon-cuckoo
Tail ColourRed Tail
Keynotes
• Red tail is orange-red rather than the brighter red of the red-tailed and bilberry bumblebees
Nest Information
• Ground surface in long grass
• Uses grass and moss to make nest
• 1 colony cycle per year
• Lasts 3-4 months
• Around 20 -100 workers
Distribution
- Rare
- Localised
- Isolated to locations in the south of England, south Wales and the Inner Hebrides
Castes
QUEEN
April
No Photo
All black
Orange-red tail
Tail:Red Tail
Thorax:All Black
Head:Black Head
WORKER
April
No Photo
All black
Orange-red tail
Tail:Red Tail
Thorax:All Black
Head:Black Head
MALE
July
No Photo
Narrow yellow collar
Narrow yellow rear band
Orange-red tail
Tail:Red Tail
Thorax:All Black
Head:Black Head
Flower Preferences
Likes flower-rich grasslands.
- Bird's-foot trefoil
- Clover
- Ground ivy
- Knapweed
- White dead nettle