Skip to main content
Red shanked carder bumblebee (Bombus ruderarius) by Bex Cartwright

National Insect Week 2023: Celebrating carder bumblebees

A Red-shanked carder bumblebee feeding on a white flower.

By Miranda Shephard, Information Officer

There are around one million known species of insect, and probably quite a few more waiting to be discovered and named! This week it’s time to celebrate them during National Insect Week 2023, so we thought we would take a closer look at our favourite type of insect – the bumblebee! And more specifically, the beautiful carder bumblebees.

Five out of our twenty-four UK bumblebee species are given the name carder bumblebee. This is due to the similarity between the carding process used by people to separate and arrange the fibres of materials, such as wool and cotton, and the way in which these bumblebees arrange nesting material over and around their nests. All five carder bumblebee species tend to nest above ground, among tussocky grass or other dry patches of long vegetation, where they use their legs and mandibles to comb and coax vegetation into a protective insulating layer.

Red-shanked carder bumblebee

The most distinctive carder bumblebee is the Red-shanked carder bumblebee (Bombus ruderarius) which, at first glance, could be mistaken for the more common Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius). However, the clue is in the name as the Red-shanked carder bumblebee does indeed have red hairs on its legs. They are also a bit fluffier and their red tail is more orange than red compared to the Red-tailed bumblebee. This carder bumblebee is quite rare but, if you’re in south and central England, Wales or the Inner Hebrides, it’s always worth keeping an eye out for red hairs on legs.

Shrill carder bumblebee

The carder bumblebee group includes one of our rarest bumblebees, the Shrill carder bumblebee (Bombus sylvarum). Named for its high-pitched buzz, this species is only found in five scattered populations across the south of England and Wales. Usually only seen from May to September, the key features to look out for are the black band between pale straw coloured hair on the thorax and a ginger orange tail at the end of more straw coloured hair on the abdomen.

Common carder bumblebee

Next up are three (one common and two rare) ginger brown carder bumblebees, which can sometimes be confused with each other. Let’s start with the one that many people will be most familiar with.

The Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum), as their name suggests, is one of our Big Eight common and widespread species. Often found in gardens and across the countryside, this ginger brown bumblebee can be seen from March all the way through to October in many areas. This is a variable species with both very pale blonde and much darker haired individuals. A key feature is the presence of black hairs which, even in the very palest individuals, will be present somewhere on the thorax or abdomen. Common carder bumblebees are also quite messy looking, with longer hair than the next two species.

Moss carder bumblebee

A much neater, sometimes described as velvety, and brighter ginger blonde carder bumblebee, the Moss carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum) is a rare bumblebee. This carder bumblebee is mainly found in coastal areas in England and Wales but can be more widespread in Scotland. Usually seen between May and September, the Moss carder bumblebee is more likely to be spotted in flower-rich countryside than gardens. Unlike the Common carder bumblebee, this bumblebee never has black hairs on the thorax or abdomen. A beautiful and striking colour variation, with a deep gingery red thorax, can be found on some of the islands around the UK.

Brown-banded carder bumblebee

Last, but definitely not least, is the Brown-banded carder bumblebee (Bombus humilis). Another of our rare bumblebees, the Brown-banded carder bumblebee is confined to the south of England and Wales where it can be seen between May and September. A key feature of this species is the ginger brown band across the top of the abdomen which is a similar colour to the thorax. Look out for the pale blonde hair patches on the side of the thorax under the wing bases and black hairs around the wing bases.

Top tips for identifying carder bumblebees

These three species (Common carder, Brown-banded and Moss carder bumblebee) can be tricky to tell apart, especially when there are faded and worn individuals around at the end of the nesting season, so our top tips for spotting them are:

  • Know which species might be present in your area by taking a look at our bumblebee species guide
  • Learn how to safely catch and pot bumblebees for a closer look with a hand lens in our helpful video
  • Practice, practice, practice! Enjoy looking out for bumblebees and spotting the differences between the species. Spring and early summer can be the best time to start identifying bumblebees before there are too many individuals around

National Insect Week is a celebration of all things insect and is organised by the Royal Entomological Society, and supported by partner organisations throughout the UK and Europe. You can find more information here.