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Transactions out soon in 2012 with conference talks |
THE SUFFOLK
BIOLOGICAL RECORDS CENTRE The Hairy-footed Flower-bee, Anthophora plumipes Records Please During March and April, as the weather warms and plants such as Lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.) and Aubretia come into flower, many insect begins to stir. Amongst the early bumblebees is another bee and one that looks superficially like a bumblebee. This is the Hairy-footed Flower-bee (see photos below, for pictures of females and males, respectively), which leads a solitary existence in contrast to the colonial, social bumblebees. At about 13mm long they are a little smaller than most bumblebees and they fly with very quick wings in a swift and darting flight, frequently hovering in front of flowers and so have a rather different “jizz” to their larger relatives. They are perhaps more reminiscent of rotund hairy hoverflies in their behaviour. They nest in tunnels excavated in steep, dry soil banks and occasionally within the crumbling mortar of old masonry, as do several other solitary bees. Amazingly, they emerge from their pupae in late summer but remain in their sealed nest cells until the following spring – about 6 months spent as an adult just standing still! The females are all black, with yellow/orange hairs on her hind legs (you may need to look carefully to avoid confusion with bees bearing yellow pollen on their hind legs). The males are strikingly different, with dark orange/brown hairs towards the front of their bodies, giving way to black hairs anteriorly. If you find two insects matching these anatomical and behavioural descriptions together in your spring flowerbed then there is little doubt that you are looking at this species. I would be pleased to receive any records from members and would be happy to verify any photographs if the file size is less than 200k – not all of us are on broadband! Please submit your name and address and, if possible, an Ordnance Survey grid reference for your sighting and the date on which it was made. Details of the sex of the insect and the flowers they were visiting would also be useful ecological information, along with any nesting observations. Jessups Cottage, London Road, Capel St Mary, Ipswich, IP9 2JJ Adrian Knowles Female (top) & Male  Suffolk Biological Records Centre RECORDS PLEASE for any Suffolk Natural History SPECIES NAME Latin is preferred but English is quite acceptable, particularly for birds and mammals. LOCATION The name of the place where the record was made or a sketch map of the site. GRID REFERENCE A Grid Reference of at least 4 figures (e.g. TM/1445): 6 figure references are preferred (e.g. TM/143452). All Ordnance Survey maps have instruction on how to read a Grid Reference. DATE The day, month and year of the record. NAME Name (and address if a new contributor) of the person who made the record. The Centre can provide:
If you would like to get involved in surveys, or want to know more about the work of the Suffolk Biological Records Centre, please contact: Suffolk Biological Records Centre,
c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street Ipswich, Suffolk IPI 3QH. Tel: (044) 01473 433557 |
Help and advice about recording and identifying Suffolk's flora and fauna.
