Bee news
Look out for the Bees
The garden outside the Martin Smith hide, having an abundance of nectar rich spring flowers, is starting to buzz with insect life. Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) and Early Bumblebees (Bombus pratorum) have both been spotted collecting pollen which tells us they have found their nesting sites for the year and are getting ready to hatch their first broods of workers. Hairy-Footed Flower Bees, male and female, have been seen among the comfrey and lungwort. Listen out for the deeper drones of the bumblebees as well as the higher pitched buzzing from the quick darting flight of the flower bees.
Hairy-Footed Flower Bees (Anthophora plumipies) are an early season solitary bee, with males emerging as early as late February. The males, with their distinctive hairy feet and pale yellow facial hair, are the first to appear. The females look very different, being entirely black apart from some orange hair on their hind legs.
Scarlet Tiger Moth caterpillars have also been spotted on the comfrey, one of their food plants, so we can expect to see these brightly coloured day-flying moths on the wing from May.
Thanks to Rachel (Grounds Warden) for this news.
