Wight Bumblees: Colletes hederae.

Friday, 31 October 2014

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.

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Anonymous6 November 2014 at 13:27
Beautiful pictures!
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In the UK there are twenty four species of bumblebee but only eight are commonly found in most places.Bumblebees occupy a variety of habitats and most of us should be able to attract them to our gardens if we have the right kinds of flowering plants.

On the Isle of Wight eleven species have been recorded including the eight ommon ones which are Tree,Garden,Heath,Red-tailed,White-tailed,Common Carder,Early,and Buff-tailed.There are also records of three much less encountered species,the Field Cuckoo,the Vestal Cuckoo, and the Hill Cuckoo.

These latter three are parasitic bumblebees that lay their eggs in other species nests and then kill the resident queen.The occupants of the nest then rear the cuckoos' offspring unaware that it is not their own species.

There are over two hundred species of solitary bee in the UK and most can be very difficult to tell apart.

They are so named because they do not live in colonies, unlike bumblebees and honeybees.Their nests range from hollow plant stems to holes in cliffs,walls,and in the ground.

All solitary bees are first class pollinators and should be made welcome in our gardens.

Title Photo

Friday, 31 October 2014

Colletes hederae.

1 comment: