Three bees and a fly

[Africa]

The fly was on a bee post, by chance or is it a parasitic one?


Bee number 1. I am not sure it looks like a male, but a bit too hairy thorax and not reddish enough for O. rufa. Help!



Bee number 2. There is a large communal bee nest next door. The females had large pollen-laden scopas on their rear legs (I couldn't get a shot). This male was waiting next to the entrance. Andrena carantonica? There were at least 5 Nomada marshamella nearby.



Bee number 3. Male, a bit grey for O. rufa? next of a bee post used by O. rufa.



Is there any book to ID british bees? I am starting to feel I need one

[JRsbugs]

Hi Africa,

The fly looks like one I have had recently, family Lauxaniidae and I think Minettia longipennis, I don't think It's parasitic.

Bee #1 is a male Osmia rufa, just getting faded and worn.

Bee #2 could be Andrena haemorrhoa male, A. carantonica has black hairs on the tail and is a slight looking thing compared. The other Andrena with red tail hairs is A. fulva but I don't think it's that, it's a slight looking thing too.

Bee #3 does have the head shape of Osmia rufa, I had some last year which had gone white and nearly bald but not as early as this.

I think experience counts for a lot, and the BWARS site is useful for starting out as well as constant googling but of course you have to be careful with that.

Janet

[Africa]

Thank you Janet, dealing with faded individuals is a challenge. I am never sure enough!
I will keep an eye on the nesting aggregation next door. The females just didn't look like haemorhoa, they are brown not reddish. I have a (poor) picture of them, just not right next to the nest I posted in a previous post

(the bee was sitting at my neighbours railing). I had a look today and they are not haemorhoa, not the females anyway.

[Africa]

Hi again,
These two bees were very near (within 2 m) of the nest entrance where I took the male picture and the females I see around are the same color.

[JRsbugs]

I think you must have more than one type of bee nesting there! Again, I can't tell what the first one is as the pollen baskets need to be seen.

The last one looks very much like Andrena nigroeana, it has black hairs on the tail and orange pollen baskets. I saw my first two days ago, although I had males which I thought A. nigroeana earlier. Last year it was 12th April when I saw the female feeding on Forget-me-not flowers, this year I have kept looking but not seen many bees at all on them!

I got some pics so will upload a couple.

[JRsbugs]

This was a large chunky bee, the abdomen looks stylopised.

Even though the pollen baskets are not visible on yours, the general appearance and leg colouring which can be seen points to A. nigroeana.

[Africa]

Thanks a lot Janet! Yes, your photos do look like one of mine. OK, identifying bees is positively hard! They do look very similar (if you do not check hairs!).