The large jaws of the fearsome Green Tiger Beetle (Cavenham heath)

Adder sunbathing (cavenham heath)

Today it was a beautiful clear morning but a frosty start. I rushed off to Cavenham heath but I was a little early and the clouds came over, so I saw about three bees , two snakes and a few beetles. Disappointing really !!

A sweep of Baits bites Lock (River Cam)

It was a very cold start more like March than nearly May. I did a quick jaunt up the river to Baits bites lock. For individual ID’s please click on the photos

A closer look for a better ID

As you know over the years I have become more and more fascinated with hymenoptera, and do my own surveys which get added to iRecord and the national data base. This give a clear indication of whether a species is increasing its range or is struggling to hold on to where it is. To Id alot of species of bee and wasp you sadly have to take a sample to look at under a microscope , for me this wont be done lightly but it is the next stage of my learning so today I have myself a microscope and will let you know how I find ID’ing with it.

Bumblebee proboscis

This is from last year , its a Bombus hortorum cleaning its proboscis , you can see now how they are adapted to getting into those deep bell flowers.

Yellow Rattle (garden)

The photo above is just to show what is now growing in my lawn , its a It is a hemi-parasitic herbaceous annual plant that gains some of its nutrients from the roots of neighbouring plants.

I sowed the seed over a year ago and its just germinated as you can see below, I also have large pink clover and birdfoot trefoil all great bee plants.

Osmia bicolor (fleam dyke)

Probably the bee highlight of the year

The males of this species are among the first of the solitary bees to appear in the spring, with one exceptional record as early as late February. They are shortly followed by the distinctive females.

Status (in Britain only)
Classified as a Nationally Notable (Nb) species by Falk (1991).
Habitat
Generally calcareous grassland and open deciduous woodland on chalk and limestone soils.
Flight period
Univoltine; April to early July. The males are very short-lived in comparison with the females.
Nesting biology
Females establish their nests in empty snail shells, including those of Helix pomatia, Cepaea nemoralis, C. hortensis and Monacha cantiana. Nests contain about four or five cells, depending on the size of shell used. Cell partitions and the closing plug consist of leaf mastic (i.e. masticated portions of green leaf). The space between the last cell partition and the closing plug is filled with a rubble containing very small snail shells and pieces of chalk, or soil. When the nest is completed the female covers the shell with a mound of dead grass stems, beech scales or leaf fragments (Perkins, 1884, 1891; G R Else, pers. obs.). The reason for this behaviour is not known, but it may camouflage the nest from possible parasites and predators at a time when it may be vulnerable to such attack….BWARS

A mornings sweep of Fleam dyke

A few of the bees seen on Fleam dyke this morning , many of the Andrena nigroaenea were stylopsed , ID’s in individual photos

St Andrews bees

lasioglossum sp

St Andrews

nomada goodeniana

Andrena nitida

Andrena haemorrhoa

Today after work I did a quick bee sweep of the local church grounds, Grave yards are idea places for bees do partly to more unkempt areas. Posted are just some of the bees seen.

 

Mating Myopa Hirsuta (Fulbourn Fen)

Habitat
Often seen on the catkins and flowers that attract solitary spring breeding bees which they are thought to parasitize.
When to see it
Myopa species may emerge as early as April.
Life History
Suspected of parasitizing spring breeding solitary bees.