Bug FAQBrown-banded Carder-Bumble bee
Bombus humilis · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
Also called: Brown-banded Carder Bee, Carder Bumble Bee
The brown-banded carder bee is a medium-sized bumblebee with queens 16 to 18 mm long and workers 10 to 15 mm long. It lives on vast grasslands in most of Europe west of Russia and also in parts of Asia, favoring alpine zones up to about 3,900 m. Queens emerge in spring, build nests on the ground among grass tufts, and the species flies from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both queens and workers typically have a broad dark brown band on the front of the abdomen, though some workers may lack it.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Queens measure 16 to 18 mm, while workers range from 10 to 15 mm in length. The bee has a relatively long tongue for its size.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers extensive grasslands. In Central Asia it lives at high elevations of 3,000 to 3,900 m.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It visits flowers such as red clover, knapweed, and vetches for nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Queens awaken from hibernation in spring and start nests on the ground among grass tufts.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from about May to September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found across most of Europe west of Russia, except Ireland and Iceland.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks similar to the moss carder bee, so careful identification is needed.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are brown-banded carder bees active?
They fly from May through September each year.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do they visit?
They commonly forage on red clover, knapweed, and vetches.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell them apart from moss carder bees?
Look for the broad dark brown band on the front of the abdomen; moss carder bees lack this distinct marking.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-banded_carder_bee
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.