Bees

Andrena fulva (12-14 mm) Tawny mining bee The female has bright orange hair, whilst the male is smaller with black hair. Feeds at the flowers of currants in spring. Nests in dry flowery places in the soil, particularly lawns and heaths, creating characteristic mounds of soil with a hole in the centre, resembling a volcano. Found from April to September. Widespread. Image taken at Durlston Country Park, Swanage, Dorset .

Andrena haemorrhoa (11-14 mm) A mining bee that forms nest burrows in the soil. The thorax is golden brown and hairy. Found from March to June on blackthorn, dandelions and sallow. Females have a white face and a redder thorax. Males have a brown face with a yellow tip to the abdomen. Widespread. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Bombus terrestris (worker 10-16 mm; queen ~22 mm) Buff-tailed bumblebee Orange to golden yellow collar and 2nd abdominal segment. Tail buff or tawny in the UK. Workers and males generally have a whitish tail, often tinged with ginger. Nests underground. Common, but rarer in the far north. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire . Both images are of the queen.

Bombus pascuorum (worker 10-15 mm; queen 15-18 mm) Common carder bee Tawny abdomen with various amounts of black. Thorax is reddish brown. Dark pollen baskets. Coat is thin and scruffy. Nests on or above ground, often in birds nests. Line the nests with material picked up from combing, hence the common name. Found in rough flowery places such as downland, woodland rides and gardens. Flies from May to October. Widespread and abundant. Image taken at Moors Valley Country Park, West Moors, Dorset .

Andrena cineraria (10-13 mm) Mining bee. Male has white hairs on the femora, whilst female has white hairs only on the front femora. Males has a less obvious black band on the thorax. Found from March to July in open habitats such as parks, lawns and downland. Nests in the ground. May be found with the cleptoparasitic bee, Nomada lathburiana. Female is pictured. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Andrena scotica (A. carantonica) (~15 mm) Mining bee. Nests communally with many bes sharing a single entrance. Once inside the nest branches disperse into individual chambers. Image taken at Swillbrook Lake, near Minety, Cotswolds, Wiltshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 16th Dec 2005 .

Bombus hortorum (11-16 mm worker; 17-22 mm queen) Three-banded White-tailed Bumblebee Large bee with yellow collar, scutellum and 1st abdominal segment. Longer hair than other species, giving a scruffy appearance. Pollen basket is black. Face is longer than it is broad. Long tongue allows it to visit tubular flowers such as Red Clover, Honeysuckle and basalms. Abundant and widespread. Nests on or just under the ground. Flies from April to September, with workers appearing during May. Colonies are quite small and dispersed. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Bombus lucorum (worker 10-16 mm; queen ~20 mm) White-tailed bumblebee Lemon yellow collar and 2nd abdominal segment. Tail is white. Male often has yellow scutellum. Flies in early spring. Widespread and abundant. Nests underground. Found from April to September in a range of flowery habitats. Image taken at Moors Valley Country Park, West Moors, Dorset . Images are of a worker and male respectively.

Apis mellifera (~12 mm worker; 16 mm drone and queen) Honey bee Abdomen contains varying amounts of orange, black and brown. Many different races with colour variation of the abdomen. Lives in colonies comprising up to 50,000 bees. Established in Europe, but a native of south Asia. Wild colonies nest in hollow trees. Nest consists of wax combs suspended vertically. Each comb is composed of hexagonal cells that provide a number of functions - contain larvae, nectar, pollen. Abundant and widespread. Found from March to October in any flowery habitat. Many hoverflies mimic the Honey bee e.g. Eristalis tenax.

Osmia bicolor (10-15 mm) Female is distinctive with black thorax and abdomen with bright orange abdominal hair in stripes. Male is yellowish-grey all over. Nests in old snail shells, covering the shell with plant debris once finished. Found from April to July locally on southern grassland and open woodland e.g. Martin Down. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 20th May'06 .

Andrena pilipes (10-15 mm) All black. Male has paler hairs on the thorax. Female has white pollen brush on the hind legs. Found from March to May on dandelions. Image taken at Moors Valley Country Park, West Moors, Dorset .

Andrena chrysoceles (????) Mining bee. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire , early May 2005. ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 16th Dec 2005 .

Nomada flava (10-12 mm) Yellow nomad bee Wasp-like bee. Lives as a cuckoo in the nests of Andrena scotica mining bees. Found from April to June in sandy or grassyhabitats. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire .

Lasioglossum calceatum (8-10 mm) Shiny abdomen and banded with silvery hair at the front of each segment. Male is narrower than the female with more red on the abdomen (see picture). Female is all black. Both often have tufts of white hair on the thorax and legs. Nests in the soil of steep banks. Widespread and common during the summer in grassland and open woodland. Image taken at Fontmell Down, near Fontmell Magna, Dorset .

Nomada fulvicornis (8-10 mm) Wasp-like bee. Almost hairless. Abdomen pattern varies. Found from April to July. Live in the nests of Andrena spp. Image taken at Swillbrook Lake, near Minety, Cotswolds, Wiltshire .

Eucera longicornis (12-15 mm) Tawny hair on thorax and abdomen. Male has distinctive long antennae and a bright yellow face. Males legs are less hairy. Nests in dry sandy soil in rough grassland. Found from April to August. Mainly found in the south of the UK, occurring locally. Image taken at Powerstock Common, near Dorchester, Dorset . Several similar species.

Bombus pratorum (worker 9-14 mm; queen ~16 mm) Early bumblebee Small bumblebee with yellow collar and 2nd abdominal segment and an orange tail. The yellow 2nd abdominal segment may be broken. Coat is shaggy. Worker can lack yellow on the abdomen. Male has wide yellow collar and a larger yellow band on the abdomen. Flies in early spring until July, sometimes has 2nd brood. Nests both above and below the ground e.g. birds nests, compost heaps. Widespread and abundant.Image taken at Warrington, Lancashire .

Bombus lapidarius (worker 12-16 mm; queen 20-22 mm) Red-tailed bumblebee Long black abdomen with deep red tail. Male is smaller with a broad yellow collar. Nests under stones or underground. Common and widespread in open country. Found in rough flowery habitats such as downland, woodland rides and gardens. Widespread and abundant. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . Images are of a worker (left) and queen (right).

Familiar furry bees of the genus Bombus. Live in small annual colonies of no more than a few hundred bees. Only the young mated queens survive the winter. Most nest in underground cavities such as mouse nests. Others create nests in dense vegetation or in birds nests. Difficulties in identification can result from regional colour variations, sex differences and loss of coat colouration due to wear and tear; Additionally the inital workers from a nest may be smaller than later workers. Apart from colour, the shape of the face and colour of the pollen baskets can be distinctive. Only 17 species are present in the UK, of which 6 are widespread and common. In recent years, bumblebees have declined due to agricultural practices and habitat loss. For further information: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/bombus/index.html

Psithyrus rupestris (15-23 mm) Hill cuckoo bee Parasitises B. lapidarius colonies. Both sexes have red tail. Male often has yellowish-grey hairs on the collar, scutellum and abdomen. Distributed widely but is not common. Flies from April to August. Image of a tired specimen taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 16th Dec 2005 .

Psithyrus vestalis (15-22 mm) Vestal cuckoo bee Yellow collar. Yellow and white tip of tail. Yellow band is interrupted. Parasitises B. terrestris colonies. Common in the south of the UK, rarer in the north. Absent from Scotland and Ireland. Flies from April to August. Often seen resting on flowers. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Parasites of the genus Bombus. No workers are present. Females often kill the Bombus queen forcing the workers to rear her eggs as their own. Mimic the bees they parasitise. The coats are generally less dense and the abdominal plates are visible and shiny. Wing membranes are darker than Bombus species. Overwintered young females fly later in the year once the Bombus colonies are established.

This large group of Hymenoptera comprises several families of usually solitary but also social insects (Honey bees and Bumblebees) that feed and collect pollen and nectar from flowers. The adults feed on the energy-rich nectar, the larvae receiving a mixture of pollen and nectar. The bodies are generally hairy with the pronotum not extending to the tegulae (scales over the base of the forewing). Pollen is generally transported back to nests attached to stiff hairs on the legs - 'pollen baskets'. Others carry pollen on the underside of the body. There are ~250 species in the UK.

Identification features include the sub-marginal cells and the morphology of the tongue - generally best seen by microscopic examination. The tongue is short and broad in the Colletidae, but long and thin in other families, dictating the types of flowers the bees can obtain nectar from.

Andrena spp????? possibly A. clarkella? (12-15 mm) Observed late April'06. Image taken at Garston Wood RSPB reserve, Sixpenny Handley, Wiltshire .

Nomada fucata (9-10 mm) Wasp-like bee. Lives as a cuckoo in the nests of Andrena flavipes mining bees. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 3rd May'06 .

Nomada goodeniana (~12 mm) Wasp-like bee. Six complete yellow bands on the abdomen. Common and widespread. Lives as a cuckoo in the nests of mining bees. Image taken at Noar Hill, Selborne, Hampshire .

Andrena labialis (~15 mm) Mining bee. Image taken at Noar Hill, near Selborne, Hampshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 20th May'06 .

Sphecodes spp (9-10 mm) Wasp-like bee. Lives as a cuckoo in the nests of Lasioglossum and Halictus mining bees. Image taken at Noar Hill, Selborne, Hampshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 20th May'06 . UK species: S. crassus, S. ephippius, S. fasciatus, S. ferruginatus, S. geoffrellus, S. gibbus, S. hyalinatus, S. longulus, S. miniatus, S. minor, S. monilicornis, S. niger, S. pelludicus, S. puncticeps, S. reticulatus, S. rubicundus, S. rufiventris, S. scabricollis, S. spinulosus.

Bombus jonellus (worker 9-14 mm; queen 15-18 mm) Small bumblebee with yellow collar, scutellum and first abdominal segment. Yellow hairs often on the top of the head. White tail. Broad face that is as broad as long. Reddish pollen baskets. Nests in the ground. Generally found on coasts, moors and heaths. Widespread and local. Image taken at Hordle Cliff, Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, Lancashire .

Andrena nitidula (????) Mining bee. Image taken at Hod Hill,near Stourpaine, Dorset , late May 2005. ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 10th June'06 .

Nomada striata (~12 mm) Wasp-like bee. Lives as a cuckoo in the nests of Andrena wilkella. Image taken at Hod Hill, near Sherbourne, Hampshire . ID offered by Stuart Roberts on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 5th July'06 .

Megachile willughbiella (12-15 mm) Large garden leaf-cutter bee Orangish-brown thoracic hairs and bands on whitish-brown hairs down the abdomen. Cuts oval leaf sections from roses, beech and other garden plants. the leaf sections are used to create a sausage-shaped nest cell within a tunnel in timber. Flies from May to August in woodland rides, gardens and hedgerows. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID offered by Duncan Jackson on the BWARS yahoo newsgroup, 17th July'06 .