As this edition of Worcestershire Record was being compiled Andrew Curran reported several individuals of this new bumblebee from Edgbaston Park on 18th May. Feeding at Cotoneaster flowers alongside Bombus pascuorum.
There is a suggestion that this species is a bumblebee of gardens and perhaps occurs less frequently in the countryside generally.
Please keep a lookout for this bumblebee – it is moving into the county and we very much want to document its spread. In appearance it is strikingly different from the common carder bee Bombus pascuorum. The combination of bright ginger hairs of the top the thorax and a black abdomen with a white tail is diagnostic!
