Thread: Bees
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Old 26-06-2013, 05:47 PM
kay kay is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertie Doe View Post
Bee identification is my problem. I've planted 3 Comfrey plants in both
front and rear gardens. They're covered in hundreds of tiny 16mm trumpets.
Quite popular with the smaller bee, but what are they?TIA.

http://s20.postimg.org/q0onhe17x/IMG_3917.jpg
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Try Bombus pratorum for the orange-tailed one. The one with the furry stole around its shoulders could be a carder, but if it's got a white tail, it will probably be a tree bee, Bombus hypnorum.

This is a field id sheet that I have, with photos rather than diagrams
The Big Six ? Common Bumblebees Found in Gardens

The "Big Six" are so much more common than the others, that it's almost certain to include anything you find. Except that the tree bee, a recent migrant from Europe, is spreading steadily north, and if you have them in the garden (they like to nest in abandoned tit nest boxes), you'll see a lot of those around.
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