A Common Carder Bee feeding on Common Vetch flowers in Clonbur Woods last Saturday morning.
I must confess that I struggle to tell the difference between one bumblebee species and another. The Galway branch committee of the Irish Wildlife Trust had a training course on bee identification last Friday evening. Alas, we went to the pub straight afterwards, so all knowledge on bees was well forgotten by Saturday morning, when I went out to Clonbur Woods.
There are 21 bumblebee species in Ireland and the National Biodiversity Centre would like you to record any sightings on their database (it is citizen science at its best). Luckily, they have prepared a bumblebee guide (pdf) to help with the identification.
Later today, we’ll return to Clonbur Woods to look at bees as well as anything else that moves or grows – why not join us (details here).