Page 7 - Wildlife News April 2018

I f you thought bees were just honeybees and bumblebees,
think again. Most of the country’s 250 species of wild bee are
in fact solitary bees that nest alone, rather than in colonies.
But just like the social honeybees and bumblebees we’re more
familiar with, smaller solitary bees are vital pollinators of the wild
flowers we admire and the crops we grow.
Wild bees are less abundant and widespread than they were
50 years ago, but BBOWT’s nature reserves are playing an essential
part in efforts to conserve them. Here are three of the best
reserves to find them in.
Busy bees
Around 50 species of solitary bee have been recorded at Dry
Sandford Pit, near Abingdon, making it one of the top nature
reserves to see them. With a range of habitats, including fen,
limestone grassland, woodland, plus sand and limestone cliffs,
you can expect to find bees here from March to October.
The cliffs and sandy areas have the highest concentrations.
One of the first to look for is the Sandpit Mining Bee, which flies
from April to June and looks like a small honeybee. The males are
first to emerge and can be seen flying low over the sandy ground
searching the nest holes for females. Other mining bees emerging
from these areas include the Red-tailed Mining Bee followed by
the furry black-and-grey striped Ashy Mining Bee. Much smaller
solitary bees, like the ant-sized, metallic Green Furrow Bee, also
nest in the cliffs. You may see what at first glance appears to be a
small black-and-yellow wasp searching the nest holes of mining
bees. These are not wasps but nomad bees. They are cuckoos,
laying their eggs in the nests of mining bees.
For sheer spectacle a visit in late September mustn’t be
missed, when thousands of Ivy Bees, orange-and-black striped
bees that feed on ivy flowers, emerge from the many holes in
the cliffs and sandy ground. The males are first to appear as they
search for unmated females. When they find one several males
will completely cover her in a frenzied attempt to mate, forming a
rolling ball – an extraordinary sight! The Ivy Bee is a newcomer to
Britain, colonising Dry Sandford Pit in 2011.
The flower-rich limestone grassland attracts some pollinators
that visit just one species of wild flower. For example, the rare
Large Scabious Mining Bee can be seen in July visiting the blue-
mauve flowers of field scabious. The flower’s pink pollen attaches
to the brushes on its back legs and is often visible, looking like
pink pantaloons, when the bee is flying. Another of the reserve’s
special bees is the 6mm-long Large Yellow-face Bee. This black
bee has a pale-yellow face and feeds on two species of wild
flower: weld and wild mignonette.
Down to the woods
A trip to Bowdown Woods in Berkshire will reveal a different range
of solitary bees. April and May are good months to visit, especially
with willows, blackthorn and hawthorn in flower. Pussy willow
catkins attract honeybees and bumblebees, but also mining bees.
Look out for the honeybee-like Small Willow Mining Bee,
which flies till May, while the spectacular furry, bright-orange
Tawny Mining Bee feeds on blackthorn and hawthorn in April.
Later in the year, once the heather is in flower, it’s the turn of the
small Heather Mining Bee which can be seen flitting from flower
to flower. Flying about the same time is its cuckoo, the small,
wasp-like Black-horned Nomad Bee.
Bees secured
Your Wildlife Trust works to protect wildlife both within
and beyond our nature reserves. One of the ways we
achieve this is by commenting on planning issues,
including strategic planning documents and selected
planning applications that pose a risk to wildlife.
BBOWT was one of the stakeholders recently asked by
Hankinson Duckett Associates, consultants to Vale of White
Horse District Council, for its input into the Supplementary
Planning Document for the Dalton Barracks site, near
Abingdon. The site is close to a number of our nature
reserves, including Parsonage Moor and Dry Sandford
Pit. New housing could affect wildlife at these reserves
through loss of grassland areas on the Dalton Barracks
site and increased use of the reserve by residents. We will
continue to engage with the council and its representatives
throughout the planning process to ensure the best
outcome for wildlife.
Haidrun Breith, Senior Biodiversity & Planning Officer
The sandy cliffs of Dry
Sandford Pit are home to one
of the highest concentrations
of solitary bees, including ivy
bees (right).
Downland duty
The chalk downland of Grangelands and The Rifle Range in the
Buckinghamshire Chilterns has one of our most curious solitary
bees – the Red-tailed Mason Bee. This furry black and red bee
nests in old snail shells. It is fascinating to watch a bee emerge
from an empty shell then fly off to find grass stems to dutifully
cover the shell having sealed off the compartments where its
eggs are laid.
Other solitary bees will nest in the chalky soil. The Broad-faced
Mining Bee is a medium-sized black bee with white hair patches
on its abdomen. This rare bee visits large umbellifers from May to
July and has only been seen at a few sites in the Chilterns.
Of course, the biggest ‘nature reserve’ of all is the collective
sanctuary of our gardens. Nectar-rich flowers and areas to nest
can attract many different species. Though uncommon, one in
particular, the Four-banded Flower Bee is more often seen in
gardens than the wider countryside. It is particularly fond of blue-
mauve flowers such as lavender and alliums, so get planting!
Bee wise
n Go on the search for more local bees with
Peter’s new book A Guide to Finding Bees
in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire (Nature Bureau, £5.95)
naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop/
n Plant a bee banquet, build a bee hotel and
turn your garden into a haven for bees.
Visit: bbowt.org.uk/bees
Wildlife news / April 2018 7