Who's Who of London's Bees

Who’s who of London’s bees LONDON BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION The UK has over 275 species of bees, many of which can be found in the Capital – all are important pollinators of food crops and wild plants. Bees vary For more information about the greatly in shape, size and London Beekeepers’ Association and colour and can be found in how you can get involved visit our website or follow us on social media a wide variety of habitats. www.lbka.org.uk Some London parks support up to 50 different [email protected] species so you don’t have @londonbeekeeper to look far to discover a London Beekeepers Association wide range of bees. • Family Halictidae Who’s who of contains the Halictus Bees also known as London’s bees Furrow Bees, the Lassioglossum or Sweat Bees and the While honey bees are currently enjoying a period of Sphecodes or Blood revival and increase in numbers, many of our wild bees Bees, named because continue to struggle to survive. In this leaflet we will of their blood red cover some of the more frequently seen wild bees colouration. Some of Common Yellow Faced Bee found in London. these bees show an UK bees are classified into six families, each containing early form of social behaviour (they are primitively numerous genera and individual species. They are: Eusocial). All have short tongues and prefer simple open flower types. These very small bees are Colletidae • Family , a attracted to garden plants like Astrantia, Alliums, cosmopolitan group Thyme, Eryngium and Solidago. Common examples of short tongued found in London include: Slender Mining Bee bees which nest in Lassioglossum calceatum and the metallic green underground burrows. Lasioglossum morio. They are sometimes known as Plasterer Bees • Family Melittidae is a because they produce a small and specialised cellophane like resin to family of bees restricted line their nest burrows. Colletes Bee to chalk grassland. Representatives There are four species common in London found in the UK. Two include the Ivy Mining Bee Colletes hedera, an of these can be found ivy specialist emerging in September and Davies at a number of sites in Mining Bee Colletes daviesanus which is active in central London. The mid-summer and frequents composite flowers Clover Bee Melitta Clover Bee like Ox-Eye Daisy and Achillea. leporina can be found in east London on remnants of chalk grassland and The Colletidae also includes the Hylaeus Bees on industrial wasteland where crushed concrete known as Yellow Faced Bees because of their and rubble mimics the chalk soils their food plants distinctive facial markings. One of the most rely on. The Gold Tailed Bee Melitta haemorrhoidalis widespread representatives of this genus is the is a specialist of bell flowers (campanulas) and can Common Yellow Faced Bee Hylaeus communis. be found in the Rose Gardens of Hyde Park and • Family Andrenidae suburban gardens. is the second largest • Family Megachilidae family of bees in the UK includes the Mason, with 67 species which Leafcutter, Wool collect pollen on their Carder Bees, Stelis or rear legs like honey and Oil Collecting Bees, bumble bees do. Chelostoma or Scissor A great many of Bees and the Coelioxys London’s ground or Sharp Tailed Bees. nesting solitary bees Tawny Mining Bee Examples found belong to the Andrena throughout London family. Common examples in the city include: include the highly Bellflower Scissor Bee the ginger Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva; the territorial Wool Carder Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scottica which can Bee Anthidium manicatum; Red Mason Bee Osmia form large nesting congregations; Ashy Mining Bee bicornis and the Bellflower Scissor Bee Chelostoma Andrena cineria and the Painted Mining Bee Andrena campanularum – a tiny black bee no bigger than an nitida. Andrena bees are the preferred host for a ant which collects pollen exclusively from bell number of cuckoo bees in the Nomada genus. and are easy to attract into The Flower Bees contain your garden. several solitary species which can be found The Vipers Bugloss in London. The most Hoplitis Mason Bee numerous and recognisable adunca is unique to member of the group London within the is the Hairy Footed British Isles. It was Flower Bee Anthophora discovered in Britain for plumipes which is one of the first time in 2016 Mason Bee our first bees to emerge Male Hairy Footed Flower Bee at Greenwhich Ecology in Spring. They have Park in south east exceptionally long tongues used to access the nectar London. of Pulmonaria flowers. They are unusual among UK • Family Apidae is a huge bees demonstrating extreme difference between the cosmopolitan group sexes (sexual dimorphism) with females being all black of bees which includes with red hairs on their hind legs while males are buff the Honey Bee Apis coloured with yellow faces. These bees often nest in mellifera, Bumble Bees, old walls and chimneys where they excavate burrows in Cuckoo Bees, Long decaying mortar. Horned Bees, Flower Less frequently seen, but Bees, Mourning Bees widespread in London, and Large Carpenter are their cousins the Bees. Honey Bee Green Eyed Flower Bee The Honey Bee Apis Anthophora bimaculata and mellifera is London’s most numerous bee. It is of the Fork Tailed Flower Bee Anthorphora furcata. least conservation concern. These bees form huge colonies of tens of thousands of workers headed by The Mourning Bee Melecta a single queen. They are the only European bee to albifrons is a nest parasite Green Eyed Flower Bee produce honey which can be harvested. of the Hairy Footed Flower There are 24 species of Bee and can often be found bumble bee in the UK close to their hosts’ nesting which vary in size and aggregations. colour. Many are black and The Nomada Bees are yellow with coloured tails, a group of wasp-like some are mostly black and kleptoparasite bees which some are mostly brown. sneak their eggs into All are covered in a dense the nests of Andrena pile of fur. Eight species are species. When their eggs common and widespread Southern Cuckoo Bee hatch they first eat the throughout London. These hosts’ eggs and offspring bees form small colonies of up to several hundred before consuming the workers and a single queen. Some bumble bees, such host bees’ pollen cache. Goodens Nomad Bombus vestalis as the Southern Cuckoo Bee are Goodens Nomad Nomada nest parasites of other bumble bees, taking over an Goodeniana is the easiest of the 34 species to identify. established nest and subduing the resident queen. Many of the others require microscopic examination to Several, very rare bumble bees can also be found identify them to species level. within Greater London, including the Moss Carder Large Carpenter Bees include the massive bright Bombus muscorum Bombus Bee and Shrill Carder Bee purple Violet Carpenter Bee Zylocopa violacea – sylvarum. Both can be found in the east of the city Europe’s largest bee. Widespread and common on around the Thames Gateway. the continent, this species favours a warm climate and is a recent addition to the British Isles. This bee is expanding its range and, with climate change, could soon join the list of London bees. Insects commonly mistaken for bees • Hoverflies. These are • Solitary wasps true flies with just two include several wings, short stubby which may be antenna, lack jaws and mistaken for have thick waistlines. bees. Many Bees are easily told solitary wasps apart by their thin waist, prey upon long antenna, strong solitary bees and mandibles and two some of them on pairs of wings. Many Hoverfly honey bees such Bee Wolf hoverflies mimic bees as the Bee Wolf as a defence mechanism that fools predators into Philanthus triangulum. Bees and wasps are closely leaving them alone. The Belted or Hornet Hoverfly related with the main differences between them is the UK’s largest hoverfly and is an excellent being diet and behaviour; bees are vegetarian whilst hornet mimic. wasps are omnivorous and feed their offspring on other invertebrates. Bees forage while wasps hunt. Bee-flies • are true flies Bees tend to have hairy bodies and wasps are and kleptoparasites sparsely haired or appear hairless. of solitary bees. They hover over the nest • Clearwing burrows of solitary moths mimic bees and flick their eggs bees and wasps inside. The maggots to avoid being then eat the host bees’ eaten by birds. eggs, offspring and food They have long stores. They are very Bee Fly antenna and furry and mimic four wings but bumble bees. their bodies lack the petite waist Clearwing Moth Social wasps • include of bees. the Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris and European Hornet Vespa crabo. Wasps are greatly misunderstood insects which have an undeserved bad reputation. As well as being pollinators just Common Wasp like bees, wasps are also prolific predators of many insect pests and European Hornet perform a vital role spreading naturally occurring yeasts throughout the environment, without which There are many other insects important to pollination we would have no bread, beer or wine! Social including butterflies, moths and beetles. wasps nest in large papier maché-like nests and are often mistaken for honey bees. Unlike honey bees For more information on wild bees visit the Bees the colony dies in autumn and only mated queens Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) hibernate to repopulate the following spring. www.BWARS.com or buy the Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland by Steve Falk. Photos by Mark Patterson and Shutterstock © 2017 LBKA Leaflet sponsored by:.

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