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Red-shanked carder bumblebee

Bombus ruderarius

Black, red tail, red leg hairs.
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Queen

All black
Orange-red tail

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April

Worker

All black
Orange-red tail

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April

Male

Narrow yellow collar
Narrow yellow rear band
Orange-red tail

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July
  • Red tail is orange-red rather than the brighter red of the red-tailed and bilberry bumblebees
Bumblebee
Red Tail
Rare
Not Applicable
Bumblebee
Red Tail
Rare
Not Applicable

Red-shanked carder bumblebee

Bombus ruderarius

Wild Bees Placeholder

Likes flower-rich grasslands.

  • Bird’s-foot trefoil
  • Clover
  • Ground ivy
  • Knapweed
  • White dead nettle
crocus Crocus
lavendar Lavendar
thistle Thistle

Nest

  • 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