Andrena hattorfiana – Suffolk

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Not the best photos but I saw this rare Andrena hattorfiana f when l was cycling the Icknield way.

Description and notes
A large, attractive mining bee which occurs in two colour forms, more noticeably in females than in males. In females the most frequent form has a largely black gaster, whereas in the other form, tergites 1-2 (occasionally 3) and sternite 2 are conspicuously marked with red (figured by Westrich (1989)). Males usually have black gasters, though in some, tergites 1-3 are posteriorly marked with red. Andrena hattorfiana, in common with A. marginata Fabricius, is strongly associated with scabious flowers and both bees may occur together in the same locality.

Status (in Britain only)
Listed in the Red Data Book as Vulnerable (RDB2) (Shirt, 1987), a status provisionally downgraded to Rare (pRDB3) by Falk (1991). This status may need to be reviewed.

Habitat
Open grassland, mainly on calcareous and sandy soils, both inland and coastal (e.g. fixed dunes). In addition, it occurs on broad roadside verges. In Devon, it has been found at 300 m on Dartmoor (Perkins, 1924).

Flight period
Univoltine; late June to mid August.

Pollen collected
The female mainly forages from the flowers of field scabious (Knautia arvensis – the pollen load being a characteristic salmon-pink colour) and occasionally small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria). Rarely, females have been observed collecting pollen from knapweed (Centaurea spp., G R Else, pers. obs.).

Nesting biology
Nest burrows are excavated singly or in small aggregations, both in open sites and hidden amongst low vegetation (Hamm, 1901; Perkins, 1919; Else & Roberts, 1994). The males often fly rapidly around scabious flowers without alighting, presumably in search of females.

Flowers visited
E C M Haes (pers. comm.) has recently studied the bee at two coastal sites in West Cornwall and observed it visiting the following flowers for nectar: rough chervil (Chaerophyllum tenulum), ground-elder (Aegopodium podagraria), hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) , common centaury (Centaurium erythraea), field scabious (Knautia arvensis), musk thistle (Carduus nutans), creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), lesser hawkbit (Leontodon saxatilis), bristly oxtongue (Picris echioides) and common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). Other species visited include white clover (Trifolium repens), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) and smooth hawk’s-beard (Crepis capillaris). Males have a marked preference for field scabious flowers.

Parasites
The rare Nomada armata Herrich-Schäffer is the special cleptoparasite of this species of Andrena (Hamm, 1901; Perkins, 1919; Westrich, 1989).

BWARS

Autumn is here RA1

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Autumn is now here and most hymenoptera are gone, my last walk I saw very few bees at all, Hornets and wasps were plentiful as their colonies are now at full strength. Loads of ladybirds around especially if you use a sweep net.

Crossocerus binotatus- RA1-Quy Fen

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A scarce yellow-marked Crossocerus, closely resembling the relatively frequent C. dimidiatus, but typically with entirely yellow tibiae.

Recorded widely, though sparingly, across England, with one record from Scotland (Murroch Glen, Dunbartonshire, 1903). Abroad, known from central Europe and the Caucasus (Lomholdt, 1975-76).

Status (in Britain only)
Listed as Notable B by Falk (1991) (now known as Scarce (Nb)). There is no evidence of a particularly strong decline, though it has never been a common insect.

Habitat
Associated with dead wood and timber, with British records from a variety of situations, including woodland, parkland, wetland, non-intensive agricultural settings and even gardens.

Flight period
Univoltine; early June to early September.

Prey collected
Medium-sized flies such as lauxaniids and rhagionids.

Nesting biology
Nesting occurs in burrows in dead wood and timber, including fallen logs, rotten stumps, fence posts and building timbers.

Flowers visited
No information available. Males may ‘swarm’ around trees and bushes in a similar manner to C. dimidiatus.

As you can see not many records from East Anglia

Mimumesa dahlbomi – RA1

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Mimumesa dahlbomi

The only confirmed record on iRecord and NBN and only one other record which is unconfirmed.

Widespread but local throughout England and Wales to Glamorgan and north to Inverness-shire. There is also one record from Ireland.

The species is common across Europe (Lomholdt 1984)

Status (in Britain only)
Not listed in Shirt (1987) or by Falk (1991) and is not thought to be scarce or threatened.

Habitat
Else & Felton (1994) indicate a varied habitat selection, including open woodland, heathland and coastal locations. Associated with dead wood habitats for nest sites.

Flight period
Richards (1980) cites May to September.

Prey collected
Nymphs of homopteran bugs within the families Delphacidae and Cicadellidae (Richards 1980). Lomholdt (1984) notes that up to 38 prey specimens have been provided for one larva.

Nesting biology
Widely quoted as nesting in old beetle holes in dead wood and this is undoubtedly typical, but John Felton (Else & Felton 1994) has observed a specimen leaving a burrow in the soil.

Not my photo,

Specimen retained for county records.

A day of wasps- Quy Fen

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Wasps are hunting their prey from flies to the smaller lasioglossum bees to caterpillars. Until this year I had never seen a Nysson sp of wasp in the last two months I’ve seen two species one rare and loads of Nysson trimaculatus.