Colletes hederae.

The Ivy Bee is a very recent arrival in the UK.The first report of this bee was in 2001 and since then it has spread along the south coast of England and north to Wales and towards the Midlands.

As the name suggests this species likes the pollen of the ivy and consequently it is seen in September and October when the ivy is in flower

Today I spent a very pleasant time watching these bees coming and going from their burrows that are excavated into the soft cliffs.There must have been hundreds of small holes at this site, situated on south facing cliffs near to Wheelers Bay at Bonchurch.

The Male Lasioglossum leucozonium.

This rather worn male Lasioglossum leucozonium is seen feeding on Devil's-bit Scabious. The males appear from July onwards although the females are seen as early as mid-March.

It is a common and widespread species found in England and Wales on mainly sandy and calcareous soils