''Bombus sylvarum'', the shrill carder bee or knapweed carder-bee, is a species of
bumblebee with a wide distribution across Europe, east to the
Ural Mountains, and north to
Great Britain,
Ireland, and southern
Scandinavia.
Description
It is a small bumblebee;
queens are long and female
workers are . It is mostly pale yellowish in colour with a black band across the
thorax, two black bands across the
abdomen, and an orange tip to the abdomen. It flies rapidly and queens produce a high-pitched buzz.
Behaviour
The flight period lasts from about April to September. The queen bee emerges from
hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
in the spring. She makes a
nest on or slightly below the surface of the ground among open vegetation. An old
mouse
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
or
vole nest may be used. By summer, the nest may contain around 100 worker bees. Each nest requires about of suitable habitat.
It occurs in herb-rich grassland where it feeds on
nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
and
pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...
from a variety of flowers, especially ones that are complex or have long
corollae. Important food plants include
knapweed
''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding reg ...
,
woundwort,
clover,
vetch,
red bartsia
''Odontites vernus'', the red bartsia, is a wild flower from the family Orobanchaceae native to Europe and Asia and occurring as an alien in North America. The red bartsia is a common plant in low-fertility soils, where it lives partially as a pa ...
, and
narrow-leaved bird's-foot trefoil.
Status and conservation
It is threatened by
habitat loss and
intensification of agriculture and is declining in numbers across Europe. In the
United Kingdom, it was common until the early 20th century, but is now restricted to a few small areas in southern England and south Wales. The species is included in the
United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. It is also an endangered species in Ireland.
Gallery
Bombus Sylvarum - Centaurea scabiosa - Keila1.jpg, Worker
Bombus sylvarum - Arctium tomentosum - Keila.jpg, Worker
Bombus sylvarum queen - Echium vulgare - Keila.jpg, Queen
Bombus sylvarum (male) - Knautia arvensis - Keila2.jpg, Male
References
*ARKive
Shrill carder bee (''Bombus sylvarum'') Accessed 18 December 2008.
*Edwards, Mike & Martin Jenner (2005) ''Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain & Ireland'', Ocelli. .
External links
UKBAP: Shrill Carder Bee (''Bombus sylvarum'')
{{Taxonbar, from=Q927168
Bumblebees
Hymenoptera of Europe
Insects described in 1761
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus