The Ivy Bee - Colletes hederae

***Catherine*** · 21-10-2010

I took a few pics down at Barton-on-Sea today. Not being able to ID them through Google searches, I emailed them to BWARS - Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society.

I was told they were Ivy Bees - Colletes hederae - a species first recorded in the UK in 2001 in Dorset, the first recording of any in Hampshire being in 2003 - at Barton-on-Sea!!!

Anyway, the Society would be grateful if anyone were able to send reports and pics of that species to them, so their progress along the south coast and inland might be recorded. Check here - Eyes open for Colletes hederae

Anyway, here are the pics I took - the cliffs, the 'nests', the Bees - and the spoil heaps and erosion they create.

**rolf** · 21-10-2010

Well done Catherine, will keep my eyes peeled, although probably a while before it arrives up her.

***ladylouise62*** · 27-10-2010

Well spotted - I probably wouldn't have gone to the bother to find out (I'm lazy that way!). In fact I took some shots of bees all over Ivy a few weeks ago which had more defined bands than usual.... I think it's close, but no cigar

But these ones really are like Humbugs with those wide, pale bands.

***Catherine*** · 27-10-2010

Well done, Louise! I'm SURE that's what you have there - with an ever-so-much-better photo than mine too!

Please check this article first,
Eyes open for Colletes hederae
- but send your pic to Stuart Roberts at [email protected] just to make sure.

Then you'll probably get a red circle on the map for your sighting!

***ladylouise62*** · 27-10-2010

Really? I thought that the bands were a little too thin... still, it's worth a try.

***ladylouise62*** · 28-10-2010

Well, Thanks for that Catherine, I didn't think that it was, but apparently it is, and although I had thought that they were unusual I really wouldn't have suspected that they could be anything that special! The chappy who runs the ID is actually at Reading Uni and said that he was jealous as hadn't seen them himself in the area.
To quote him:

"These are exciting records right at the northern frontier of the species, not only in GB but in the world! The only other record from Berks is from Tilehurst, also in September this year where they were found nesting in a huge aggregation in a garden. I am just a bit jealous as I have looked at zillions of Hedera clumps in Reading this Autumn (I work at the Uni) and I have drawn nothing but social wasps, Apis and hoverflies!!"

Unfortunately, if he has a sighting in Tilehurst, that is just above me, so I'm not the furthest north :-( Still, I've see a rare species, and one that I just wouldn't have realised if it weren't for you, Catherine!!!

***Catherine*** · 28-10-2010

Oh, I'm SO glad you contacted him, Louise!

Yes, I found this a week ago on Googling;
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER), Department of Agriculture, the University of Reading

Did you tell him you'd got a message from me on TVB? You see I DID promise him I'd spread the word on this site!

***ladylouise62*** · 28-10-2010

Of course I mentioned TVB, I always try to promote it wherever I can, just in case I can entice some other poor sucker, errm, lovely person to join us

I was so shocked - although it was a surprising sight as there were loads of the bees all at once and they are reasonably distinct, it never even crossed my mind that they could be special. I didn't check them out as I didn't get any really nice shots so wasn't going to post. It's all down to you!