Common Carder Bee ( Bombus pascuorum )

A usual Sunday morning, Clickychick at church me pottering about on various jobs.  One in particular I have been itching to have a go at.  In the afternoon despite the weather being dull and colder we tackled more jobs in the garden.

The blip is a Carder Bee on out Berberis flowers.  Carders weren't a bee I even tried to identify until recently (silly me).  To quote one reference I read they look like flying teddy bears.  As the blip shows they have a thick coat of brown hairs. (I should have used a greater depth of field).  Carders are found just about anywhere that there are flowers to feed on.  A nest can be up to 200 bees.  Being a "long tongued bee" they are able to feed from flowers such as Lavender,heather and clover.