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Brown-banded Carder Bee (Bombus humilis)
For most of the summer months the bee I see most frequently is the uncommonly common Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) a bee that can vary both in size and markings, particularly when worn.
I have to keep reminding myself of the possibility that among them there might be flying the much rarer Bombus humilis.
I thought i had spotted one just a week ago, but it was a worn individiual and the photographs were not conclusive.
Such was my relief then when I instantly recognised this much fresher-looking bee as it foraged close by a few days later.
Carder bees are generally more tolerant of human presence, so I had time to both photograph and film it, the result of which you can see here:
The brown-banded carder bee is a bumblebee found in most of Europe west of Russia, with the exception of Ireland and Iceland. It is also found in Turkey, on the Tibetan plateau, northern China, eastern and southern Mongolia, and parts of North Korea. In Britain, it is limited to the coast and chalkland areas of southern England.
comments (1)
Nice spotting! Posted 8 months ago