11/09/2023
The Ivy bee is the latest solitary bee to emerge in the UK. It times its appearance with the flowering of the ivy shrub from which it gets its name. A medium sized (10mm) bee, it can be seen in much of southern England, the Midlands and Wales foraging on the tiny, white flowers that smother mature ivy plants in early autumn.
At first sight, it can be tricky to tell it apart from honeybees which will also be stocking up on nectar from the ivy. However, look closely and you’ll see the ivy bee sports a quiff of orange hairs on its thorax and its abdomen has much more defined and shiny segmented bands in buff and brown alternate colours. Ivy bees are also a little smaller (10mm) than honeybees (14mm).
Ivy bees belong to the Colletes family, which mine into the ground to make their nests – often next door to each other in very large numbers – and they line their nest with a cellophane-like waterproof and fungus-resistant substance, which is why Colletes are also called plasterer bees. If you have a south-facing slope with light soil you may see hundreds, even thousands, of these bees emerging from their individual nests. It is easy to forget that they are solitary bees as you can see on this great video from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
They fly from late August to early November peaking with the ivy blossom.
There are nine species of Colletes in the UK, and 500 species worldwide.
The ivy bee was only classified as a separate bee species in 1993. It is native to Europe, but in 2001 it was first recorded in the UK in Dorset. Since then it has spread over much of southern England, the Midlands and Wales. But Ivy bees aren’t thought to have reached the north of England yet. If you see one beyond the Midlands, please report your sighting to BWARS (Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society).
Helping Ivy bees
1. Grow food
It takes ivy 11 years to mature enough to flower. If you have flowering ivy scrambling up your walls, please let it flower each year to provide food for the ivy bees and other pollinators. If you don’t have ivy, but know someone who does, impress on them the importance of letting it flower and show them the ivy bee foraging.
2. Create a nesting site
You could try to create a bank of sand mixed with some clay soil against a south facing wall, or a free-standing mound, for all types of mining bees which like to burrow into sand. It needs to be about 400mm deep. The clay will help the bank to keeps its shape after the bees have tunnelled into it.
3. Observe and appreciate
Learn to tell the difference between the many different insects that feed on ivy – ivy bees, honeybees, hoverflies and wasps. And teach other people about the amazing wildlife on their doorstep.
For other bees to see this month, how to tell them apart, and how to help them, sign up to Alison’s free Buzz newsletter.
