The Bee Fauna of the South Wales Coalfield

By Liam Olds Colliery Spoil Biodiversity Initiative

The South Wales coalfield is the largest continuous coalfield in Great Britain. It has an area of approximately 1000 square miles. Tylorstown Colliery, Rhondda Fach Source: Northern Mine Research Society *Please note that the data contained here is not an exhaustive list They’ve gone from this…….

Tylorstown Tip, 05/08/1971 ©MaryGillhamArchives ….to this!!!

Gelli Coal Tips, 16/08/2016 (Photo: Liam Olds)

What is a bee?

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda (from Greek arthro-, joint + podos, foot) Class: Insecta (3-part body, 3 pairs of legs) Order: Hymenoptera (two pairs of membranous wings and an ovipositor specialized for stinging or piercing)

Superfamily: Apoidea Family: Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Melittidae • Around 250 species in the UK → social bees (bumblebees & the honeybee) account for around one-tenth of that figure → remainder are solitary • Quarter of bees are ‘cuckoos’ of other bee species

In cuckoo solitary bees: female enters host nest and lays an egg. When the egg of the cuckoo bee hatches, the grub eats the egg/young grub of the host and uses the food provisions for its own development.

Steven Falk's Flickr Collection for Hymenoptera In cuckoo bumblebees: Female enters a host nest, replaces the queen (by killing or subduing her) and then occupies the nest for the rest of its cycle. Workers become slaves.

Moss carder bee (Bombus muscorum) ©Steven Falk

Larger and are always covered with dense hair Vary considerably in size, appearance and where they choose to nest. Do not have pollen baskets

Megachile willughbiella ©Steven Falk Andrena flavipes ©Steven Falk

Some species (leafcutter and mason bees) collect pollen Most collect pollen on their legs on specialised hairs (scopa) on the underneath of their abdomen.

Study sites

Five study sites within Rhondda Cynon Taf:

1. Cwm Colliery, Beddau 2. Clydach Vale Country Park, Tonypandy 3. Gelli Tips, Rhondda Fawr 4. Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare 5. Albion Tip, Cilfynydd

Hymenoptera - Aculeata (bees & wasps)

• 85 bee species identified – which equates to 34% of the UK Fauna & ~48% Welsh fauna • 54 species (≈ 64%) were uncommon (i.e. they were localised, scarce, rare, RDB-listed or UK BAP priority species) • Between 31 and 47 bee species identified per site (31, 36, 38, 40, 47) Solitary (69 species) Social (16 species)

• Mining Bee (Andrena) → 26 species • Bumblebee (Bombus) → 15 species • Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum + Halictus) → 11 species • Honeybee (Apis) → 1 species • Nomad Bee (Nomada) → 10 species • Blood Bee (Sphecodes) → 5 species

• Leafcutter Bee (Megachile) → 4 species • Mason Bee (Osmia) → 3 species • Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus) → 3 species • Colletes Bee (Colletes) → 3 species • Sharp-tail Bee (Coelioxys) → 1 species • Flower Bee (Anthophora) → 1 species • Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium) → 1 species • Variegated Cuckoo Bee (Epeolus) → 1 species “There’s still mining going on in the south Wales valleys” Andrena coitana (Small Flecked Mining Bee) Scarce

Nationally Scarce, UK BAP, Section 7

Thank you – any questions?

Colliery Spoil Biodiversity Initiative

Liam Olds | Colliery Spoil Entomologist Email: [email protected] | [email protected] Tel: 02920 573170 | Mob: 07437 595720

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