Species Account

Bombus ruderarius  (Mueller, 1776)
Red-tailed Carder Bee
Aculeata: Apinae: Apinae

BAP status: UKBAP    




Species Habitat Data

Additional Phenology Data


Interpretation of distribution maps

 

Bombus ruderarius is a nationally declining species which at the time of publication of the Bumblebees of Essex (Benton, 2000) was still considered to be widespread, but local, in the county. However current evidence suggests a drastic decline has occurred, with sites where the bumblebee used to occur in numbers a few years ago now apparently without populations. Like other declining bumblebees, the species requires extensive areas which support a variety of flowering plants, especially Fabaceae and Lamiaceae, and it is essential that suitable forage resources are available throughout the flight period of the colony. The nest is constructed of grass clippings and moss on or just above the ground among long vegetation, often using an old mouse nest as a foundation (Edwards & Telfer, 2001). References

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Underlying maps produced by MapMate® using Digital Map Data © HarperCollins-Bartholomew 2007
Data overlay © Essex Field Club 2010.