Common Carder Bee vs Hawthorn Shieldbug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Carder Bee Hawthorn Shieldbug
Scientific Name Bombus pascuorum Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Apidae Acanthosomatidae
Size 9-18 mm 13-17 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Carder Bee

A fluffy ginger-brown bumblebee that builds nests on the ground surface using moss and grass. It has one of the longest flight seasons of any European bumblebee.

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Did You Know?

Workers 'card' moss fibres over the nest like wool, which gives the species its common name.

Hawthorn Shieldbug

A large green-and-red shieldbug common on hawthorn trees across Europe. It produces a strong, pungent smell from thoracic scent glands when handled.

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Did You Know?

Its red-tipped abdomen peeking out from under the green wings gives it the memorable alternative name 'red-rumped shieldbug.'