Pine Honey.

While on holiday to the north-eastern  Aegean Island of Thassos a visit was made to the Beekeeping Cooperative where the honey is processed and refined. It receives honey from over 100 family-run independent producers who are  renowned for their dark caramel coloured pine honey.To give this honey it's delicious taste the bees feed on a white fungus that lives on the local pine trees, as pictured below.This fungus is available to the bees in August so it therefore prolongs the honey making season. The white cotton-like waxy secretion is made by an insect called Marchalina hellenica.     

Once taken from the hive the honeycombs are scraped to remove the caps made by the bees to seal each cell. The frames are then placed in an extractor to separate the honey from the comb by spinning, which forces the liquid to the sides of the machine.Gravity then allows the honey to fall to the bottom of the extractor for collection.

After the honey is extracted,it is heated to aid the process of straining.This removes any remaining pieces of wax and any other particles.Finally the honey is bottled and labelled for sale, either to visitors on the premises or for distribution all over the Island and mainland Greece.      

Here At Last.

A couple of days ago the first female Ivy Bees emerged from the cliff colony at Monks Bay.Yesterday the number of male bees flying around the nest holes had drastically diminished and several females were coming and going with their full pollen sacs.(Thanks to A.N.Other for the use of his photo of mating Ivy Bees)

The Ivy Bee coastal cliff colony at Monks Bay.

Anticipation.

Another visit to my local colony of Ivy Bees today and the spectacle of hundreds of male bees buzzing around the nesting holes on the cliffs.No sign as yet it seems of the emerging females, despite the males investigating the nesting burrows and pouncing on any bees that may be near.They quickly realized that any bees that emerged from the burrows were investigating males.

Ready and Waiting.

The Ivy Bee,Colletes hederae,is the last bee of the year to emerge as it feeds on the blossom of the Ivy.Now a resident in the UK since 2001 they are a mining bee,making use of soft sandy cliffs and banks for their nesting holes.The males are the first to appear,and at my local colony situated on south facing coastal cliffs they are now flying about awaiting the appearance of the females from their burrows.Once emerged the females are then mated and they begin to collect pollen for the eggs they have laid in their nest holes.These holes can be counted in hundreds on the cliff face and are up to 30cms in length. 

A Little Lasioglossum.

This male Lasioglossum was one of many seen on the sandy cliffs at Bonchurch yesterday.Not more than a centimetre in length it is impossible to confirm the particular species.

In a short while these cliffs will be populated by the attractive Ivy Bee Colletes hederae. 

Europe's Largest Bee.

The Violet Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa violacea is a bee of southern Europe although sighting have been made in the UK.I have not been lucky enough as yet to see Europe's largest bee here on the Isle of Wight.Perhaps there would be a chance to see one on my latest holiday to the Greek Islands which took place last week although I had already come across this bee on the Greek Island of Lefkada in May. I was not disappointed as I was treated to two separate sightings despite the fact that by now the bees are showing some wear and tear and their wings have lost that lovely violet colouring.

    

A Cuckoo Bumblebee.

The Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee,Bombus vestalis is one of three species of cuckoo bumblebee recorded on the Isle of Wight.This one pictured was seen on a giant thistle on the Islands' downland. Identifying a cuckoo from other common bumblebees can be tricky, however this particular genus has no pollen basket and the outer surface of the hind tibia has hairs.It will also be seen that the wings are quite dark.Another feature of the Psythirus i.e.Cuckoo Bumblebees is the very quiet buzz compared with other bumblebees.