Europe eastwards into western Asia; records are concentrated in temperate habitats.
Fine-art photographic collection
Bombus humilis
A bumblebee that cards grass and moss into a felted nest.
About this species
Brown-banded Carder Bee
Bombus humilis(Illiger, 1806)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
The brown-banded carder bee normally nests at the soil surface among long vegetation. The queen gathers dry plant material and combs it around the brood, creating a concealed insulating structure rather than relying on a ready-made cavity.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Apidae · Bombus
Accepted species or infraspecific taxon in the current GBIF/Catalogue of Life treatment; unsupported details have been omitted rather than inferred. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and western AsiaBroad documented range and selected occurrence localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Flower-rich open habitat, woodland edge, farmland or upland habitat according to the species and region.
Diurnal; workers forage during the colony season.
Adults use nectar for energy; pollen is collected to feed developing brood.
Eusocial colony with a queen and female workers; colony cycle varies with climate.
What makes this species remarkable?
The queen literally cards moss, grass and plant fibres together to build an insulating roof around her brood at ground level.
Its long tongue reaches nectar in deep flowers that are inaccessible to many common short-tongued bumblebees.
The colony must receive an unbroken supply of flowers for three to four months before it can produce the new queens that carry the population forward.