Common carder bee

Field cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus/Psithyrus campestris)

• Species
  – large
• Size 
  mother 15 – 20 mm
  samec 15 – 18 mm

Basic Schema (Mother)

• Base colour
  Black
• Head
  Black 
  – short with wide temples
  – head significantly larger and differently shaped
• Chest
  – pronoumm a distinct strong yellow band of long hairs
  – at the end of the chest, a second, less distinct yellow band curved into an arc
  – black armour shows through
• Bottom
  – 1st to 3rd tergites black
  - yellow to yellowish-orange stripes on the sides of tergite 4-5
  – žThe yellow band on the bottom is visibly interrupted (rather, it's better to speak of bands on the side of the bottom).
  – fore tergites shiny, smooth and almost hairless
  – often produces dark forms
• Wings
  – dark smoke

Basic diagram (male)

• Base colour
  Black
• Head
  Black 
  – short with wide temples
  – head significantly larger and differently shaped
• Chest
  long hairs
  – yellow band of long hairs on the forebreast
  – at the end of the chest, a second, less distinct yellow band curved into an arc
  – black armour shows through
  – yellow is often very bright
• Bottom
  – The 1st to 3rd tergites are usually black
  – yellow bands of hairs on the 4th – 6th tergites,
  – sometimes, however, yellow hairs practically all over the bottom
  – yellow is often a very bright colour, sometimes more of a light brown
  – in dark forms, light hairs are suppressed
• Wings
  – dark smoke

• Unlike the field bumblebee
  – he is not similar to him in any detail
  – often produces dark forms
  – prominent head
  – bright coloration of males
  – translucent armour
  when flying it makes a loud rattling noise

• This bumblebee also parasitises at:
  Brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis)
  red bumblebee
  Bumblebee of the meadow (Bombus pratorum)
  Brown-banded carder bee