Having more time at home has allowed me to notice (and hopefully correctly identify) one of our most common bumblebees, the common carder bee. She was very speedy, and I only managed to get these two photos that are nearly in focus. So far, this long-tongued bumblebee has visited the pulmonaria patch (above), the blueberry flowers (below), and has been the only bee that I've seen visiting the snake's-head fritillaries.
There were two things that brought her to my attention. It might sound strange, but I think I am beginning to recognise the different 'buzz' some of our different bee species make. The two female hairy-footed flower bees that are now regulars have a specific high pitched buzz, for example, and this bee sounded different to the regular visitors. The fiery ginger fuzz behind the head, at the top of the thorax, then allowed me to find her and watch her visit the flowers listed above. The abdomen appeared to be striped with cream and black hairs.
These bumblebees are on the wing between March and November, and make large nests, so I'll hopefully see more of them visiting between now and autumn.
References:
Falk, S. (2015) Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/common-carder-bee (accessed 18/04/2020)https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ginger-yellow-bumblebees/common-carder-bee/ (18/04/2020)
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