Shrill carder bee  (Bombus sylvarum)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

The shrill carder bee is one of the smaller members of the bumblebee family. It has a distinctive combination of markings, being predominantly grey-green, with a single black band across the thorax, and two dark bands on the abdomen. The tip of the abdomen is pale orange. The queens fly very quickly and produce an audible high-pitched buzz. Although workers and males fly equally fast, they appear to be far less noisy. The combination of rapid flight and distinctive colouration make this species fairly easy to identify.

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