Widespread across Europe and extending into temperate western and central Asia.
Fine-art photographic collection
Bombus pascuorum
A bumblebee that constructs a warm plant-fibre tent around its colony.
About this species
Common Carder Bee
Bombus pascuorum(Scopoli, 1763)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
The common carder bee builds at or near the ground surface and gathers dry grass, moss and other fibres to cover the nest. It also has one of the longest colony seasons among familiar British bumblebees.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Apidae · Bombus
Accepted species; English common name follows the GBIF/Catalogue of Life record. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and temperate AsiaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Gardens, grassland, hedgerows, woodland edges and other flower-rich habitats.
Colonies are active through spring and summer, often persisting into autumn.
Adults feed on nectar and collect pollen from many flowering plants.
Eusocial annual colonies.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers comb and carry plant fibres backwards with their legs, carding the material into a protective nest covering.
Unlike pollen-storers that pack pollen into separate pots, this species places pollen pockets beside larval clumps so growing larvae can feed directly.
Colonies can remain active into October, requiring months of continuous flowers after many other bumblebee colonies have already died.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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