Friday 13 March 2020

Bees, Wasps and Ants

A selection of bees, wasps and ants from last year. Well the ones I've tentatively identified that is! Totally new to trying to identify bees so I could easily have them all wrong!

Bees



Big-headed Mining Bee - Andrena bucephala
 Male resting on Butterbur leaves alongside River Sid, Sidford. 


Black Mining Bee - Andrena pilipes
Struggled to get a stationary one for a photo so had to resort to potting one. 
This is a female, found on the cliffs at Branscombe beach.


Blood Bee - Sphecodes sp. 
No chance of identifying to species level, one of 17 species in British Isles which all look the same! This one was at Bystock Ponds reserve, Devon.


Hairy-footed Flower Bee - Anthophora plumipes
Male on patch of Bulbous Comfrey by the River Sid, Sidford. Devon.


Gold-fringed Mason Bee - Osmia aurulenta
This female was found on the beach at Soar Mill Cove, Devon.

I think this is a male of the same species? This one seen on the cliffs at Eype Mouth, Dorset. 

 
Clover Melitta - Melitta leporina
I think this is a male, seen at Dungy Head, Dorset. 
(Although I may have this totally wrong!)


Smeathman's Furrow Bee - Lassioglossum smeathmanellum
Female on cliffs at Eype Mouth, Dorset. 



A Base-banded Furrow Bee - Lassioglossum sp. 

Nomad Bees


Early Nomad Bee - Nomada leucophthalma (male)


Flavous Nomad Bee - Nomada flava (female)

 

Marsham's Nomad Bee - Nomada marshamella (female)
All three of these were seen on Branscombe undercliffs in early May.


Early Nomad Bee - Nomada leucophthalma (male)
 

Long-horned Nomad Bee - Nomada hirtipes (male)
These two species were seen at Haven Cliffs, Axmouth in mid-May.


Fabricius' Nomad Bee - Nomada fariciana (female) 
Ramshorn Down, Devon, late March. Seen associated with nesting aggregation of Gwynne's Mining Bee - Andrena bicolor


Lathbury's Nomad Bee - Nomada lathburiana (female)
Seen on Aylesbeare Common, Devon in late April 


Wasps
 


Fen Mason Wasp - Odynerus simillimus
 Hickling Broad, late June.


An Ichneumon Wasp - Ichneumon sarcitorius
Haven Cliffs, Axmouth, Devon. 


A very small solitary wasp - Diodontus sp.
Seen at Haven Cliffs, Axmouth in May and June.


Here's one on a fingernail to show just how small it is!
 This one is Entomognathus brevis.


ANTS
 

 
Jet Ants - Lasius fuliginosus
Very shiny jet black ants with distinctive heart shaped head, seen at Ramshorn Down, Devon in early May. 

 
Pavement Ant -Tetramorium caespitum 
These tiny ants caught my eye on Hartland Moor, Dorset.
They were only about 2-3mm in length!

 

3 comments:

Ian Andrews said...

Great to have you and your wonderful pics back.

timstrudwick said...

I think your Lindenius albilabris is Diodontus sp, and you tiny wasp on fingernail is a male Entomognathus brevis (hairy eyes).

Karen Woolley said...

Thanks for the identifications Tim! I’ll edit the captions.