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| 1 | 2 |  » Stats |
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| | Welcome to our newest member, TransAmDan | |  | 
11-04-2011, 04:50 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 297
| | | Bee ID's
Totally confused with ID'ing Bees!
Any recommend books for Bees please?
Someone ID'd an Andrena lapponica for me at the weekend- are they rare species?
Had an all-black bee in the garden yesterday, smaller than a Bumblebee but similar shape and slightly pointed abdomen, which species could this bee?!
A Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee keeps trying to enter my house all weekend, is she trying to find somewhere to nest? |
11-04-2011, 05:27 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: S. Devon
Posts: 3,893
| | | Re: Bee ID's
Totally confused with ID'ing Bees! Welcome to the club. 
Several questions - which will probable generate as many answers.
There isn't currently any affordable books for comprehensive identification of bees in general. However, there are a few varied sources of information.
Bees of Surrey by David Baldock gives a lot of information and ID keys plus ohotos for most species. Parts of it are somewhat localised, as you would expect from the title, but there is a lot of general information there.
Field Guide to Bumblebees of Great Britain & Ireland by Edwards/Jenner does exactly what it says on the cover. There is a recent updated version available.
The BWARS site has some useful fact sheets. http://www.bwars.com/index.htm
Andrena lapponica appears to be a bit localised but you really need to ask an expert on this species.
My first thoughts about an all black bee would be to check out Anthophora plumipes. But this assumes that it isn't a worker of the red tailed bee (Bombus lapidarius) and the tail tip was hidden from view.
Buff-tailed bumble bees usually nest in the ground so I would suspect that she could smell something tasty in your larder.
Last edited by Geoff F; 11-04-2011 at 05:29 PM.
Reason: link added
|
11-04-2011, 06:24 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Salisbury; Wilts
Posts: 2,308
| | | Re: Bee ID's
Andrena lapponica is a specialist on Bilberry pollen. It is pretty local in southern England.
Small black "bumblebees" at this time of year are usually female Anthophora plumipes. Obviously, without at least a pic, this is no more than informed guess work |
11-04-2011, 08:13 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 297
| | | Re: Bee ID's
Many thanks - is the Andrena Lapponica a parasitic ('cuckoo') bee?
Apparently it was parasitising the Hairy footed Flower Bees?
There was quite a lot of Bilberry in the woodland where we were walking. |
11-04-2011, 08:40 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Salisbury; Wilts
Posts: 2,308
| | | Re: Bee ID's
Andrena species are all free-living. The cuckoo bee associated with Anthophora plumipes is the impressive Melecta albifrons
A. lapponica is a smallish species of bee compared with some of the other Andrena species on the wing at the moment. There is a pic on Paul Westrich's site at http://www.wildbienen.info/Fotos/sma...8_3045-400.jpg | | |
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