The Common Carder Bee is a brown and orange bumblebee, sometimes displaying darker bands on the abdomen. It is one of our most common bumblebees, emerging in the early spring and can be seen feeding on flowers right through to November. It is found in gardens, farmland, woodland edges, hedgerows, heathland: anywhere there are flowers to feed on. It nests in cavities, such as old mouse runs, bird’s nests or in moss mats in lawns. A social insect, nests may contain up to 200 workers. The queen emerges from hibernation in spring and starts the colony by laying a few eggs that hatch as workers, these workers tend the young and nest. Males emerge later and mate with the new females who are prospective queens. Both the males and old queen die in the autumn, but he new queens hibernate.