Lowland Heath Bees, Bee-Fly & Jewel Wasp for ID

[tigger]

Hi All

Lovely and sunny in Dorset today and I've been out on Upton Heath looking for wasps & bees... with a stunning view of Poole harbour in the distance!



Just a couple of bees, a fly & a jewel wasp that I'm trying to ID. Could do with some help. Cheers. Jane

1 - Possible Hedychrum niemelai - Jewel wasp? It's the only jewel wasp in the Wasps of Surrey with this colour scheme (but wouldn't be surprised if there were others...) - you can just see it disappearing off the left of the photo.



2 - Possible Bombylius minor - Heath Bee-fly. Not sure if it's possible to tell from these photos, but it was definately a lot lighter coloured than the B. major I get in my garden. Watched it flicking its eggs into nests in a sandy bank.



3 - Possible Epeolus variegatus or cruciger? Not sure if it's possible to tell from photos? (both pics of same individual checking out nests).



4 - Possible Colletes succinctus feeding on heather?

[tigger]

No one able to help me with any of my heathland species?

ANY suggestions would be helpful. Cheers!

Jane

[Matt Smith]

No 1 - probably - looks the right colour and shape.

No 2 - probably, not the right season for the 2 Spring species, (B.major and B.discolor) but I have not seen Bombylius minor "in the flesh" yet myself.

No 3 - Epeolus sp - not possible to ID to species from these photos - differences are small and subtle.

No 4 - Colletes sp - C. succinctus is flying now but again a lot of the Colletes species look very similar and more than one will visit heather. I'd want to see a specimen before I gave a det for all Colletes species.