Appearance
"B. muscorum" is characterized by its oblong face and long tongue. The bristles of the species are ginger in color and cover the head, thorax, and abdomen. The abdomen, however, can have a darker, brownish coloring. In some subspecies, black bristles are intermixed with the ginger bristles that characterize the species. Some subspecies have an entirely black ventral side. The species is similar in appearance to the more common "Bombus pascuorum." The queen has a body length 17–19 mm and a wingspan of 32–35 mm. Workers have a body length of 10–16 mm and a wingspan of 26–29 mm. Drones have a body length of 13–15 mm and a wingspan of 26–29 mm.Distribution
"B. muscorum" is widely distributed throughout Eurasia. Populations appear from Ireland in the West to Mongolia in the East. The species has been observed as far North as Scandinavia and Russia and has been spotted as far South as Crete. Populations, however, are fairly rare in all locations. Populations in the United Kingdom have declined sharply since the 1970s. Once widely distributed throughout the British Isles, distributions are now fragmented and predominantly coastal. Populations of other species, such as "Bombus pascuorum", appear to be replacing "B. muscorum" in some parts of Northern Britain. The species is still relatively abundant in Northern Scotland. "B. muscorum" is classified as vulnerable in Europe by the IUCN."B. muscorum" inhabits moors, grasslands, and salt marshes, where it builds its nest above ground. In the British Isles, "B. muscorum" nests in open landscapes near coastal areas in the lowlands. Populations are found in moorland and machair in the North. In the South, populations are found in coastal marshes, shingle, and calcareous grasslands. Nests have been found near open regions of fallowed land and man-made ditches. Colonies are small, numbering between 20 to 100 workers.
Status
"B. muscorum" is currently listed as vulnerable in Europe by the IUCN. Populations are diminishing in Britain and the species is currently in a species recovery program. Decreasing populations are evident in multiple European countries. Estonia lists the species as vulnerable. Germany and the Netherlands consider the species to be endangered.Habitat
"B. muscorum" is widely distributed throughout Eurasia. Populations appear from Ireland in the West to Mongolia in the East. The species has been observed as far North as Scandinavia and Russia and has been spotted as far South as Crete. Populations, however, are fairly rare in all locations. Populations in the United Kingdom have declined sharply since the 1970s. Once widely distributed throughout the British Isles, distributions are now fragmented and predominantly coastal. Populations of other species, such as "Bombus pascuorum", appear to be replacing "B. muscorum" in some parts of Northern Britain. The species is still relatively abundant in Northern Scotland. "B. muscorum" is classified as vulnerable in Europe by the IUCN."B. muscorum" inhabits moors, grasslands, and salt marshes, where it builds its nest above ground. In the British Isles, "B. muscorum" nests in open landscapes near coastal areas in the lowlands. Populations are found in moorland and machair in the North. In the South, populations are found in coastal marshes, shingle, and calcareous grasslands. Nests have been found near open regions of fallowed land and man-made ditches. Colonies are small, numbering between 20 to 100 workers.Due to recent decades of agricultural intensification in Europe, the natural habitat of "B. muscorum" has been largely diminished. Many of the permanent flower-rich areas where the bee commonly forages have been destroyed by increased commercial farming. "B. muscorum" has poor dispersal ability compared to other species of bumblebee, making it more vulnerable to habitat loss. As a result, populations have decreased dramatically in recent decades.
Reproduction
As a result of small population sizes and haplodiploidy, "B. muscorum" has an increased susceptibility to inbreeding. As sex is determined at a single locus, the overall fitness of a population is directly related to the number of different alleles at the sex locus, which in turn is related to the size and isolation of the population. When drones mate with related queens, diploid males with reduced fertility and immune response are produced. 10 out of 14 "B. muscorum" populations in the Hebrides showed significant signs of recent bottlenecking. In recent years, diploid males have come to represent a considerable proportion of males within populations in the British Isles, suggesting an increase in inbreeding among populations.Food
"B. muscorum" is polylectic, the diet of the species depends on the surrounding area. The species has a strong preference for flowers of the families Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Lamiaceae, and Asteraceae. Common food sources include clover, bird's-foot trefoil, vetches, and thistles. Flowers with long corollas are especially dependent on the long-tongued species.Defense
"B. muscorum" build its nest on or just under the ground. It cards together collected moss and dry grass to cover the nest. It is this behavior that gives "B. muscorum" the name moss carder bee. It rarely, if ever, crosses sea barriers greater than 10 km to establish a nesting site"." Once a nest is established, the bee is notoriously aggressive, readily attacking intruders that are too close to the nest, which they bite and sting simultaneously.References:
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