Differences between tree bumblebee and common carder bee?

Nature Talk
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I’ve made a couple of observations that have been corrected by more knowledgeable members, and I can’t see the differences between the tree bumblebee and the common carder bee. Could anyone give me any pointers please?

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According to this ID guide: http://www.bloomsforbees.co.uk/id-guide/

A white tail means it’s definitely a tree bumblebee. An orange (not dark) abdomen means it’s definitely a carder bee. If the photo’s from a tricky angle or the specimen doesn’t have good strong colours, though, they can be very similar.

My way of remembering tree bumblebees is that they look as if they’re wearing an orange jacket (no orange below the ‘waist’).

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On observations that have been corrected, you can also tag the folks correcting your IDs in a comment and ask for an explanation and/or ID tips. In my experience, most have been willing to share.

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Thanks Lauren, when it comes to bees I obviously need to pay more attention to the back end!

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Thanks, I knew there must be a way to do that but couldn’t work out how :+1:

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