I heard them before I saw them.
I’d been smelling the ivy flowers all day, as I walked one of my local circuits, though Cosmeston along to Lavernock and back to Penarth along the coastal path. But I hadn’t noticed any open flowers until I heard the loud buzzing coming from the ivy ahead of me on the path. It was alive with various species of bee and fly and hoverfly. And then I spotted what I was looking for – the ginger fluff and black-and-yellow-stripes of Ivy bees (Colletes hederae), my first for 2019.
You can find out more about these handsome creatures in my previous blogs here and here.
earthstar 
They are gradually coming out down here in Devon and I expect them to peak by early October. I find them fascinating to watch.
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Excellent! I must look for more. Have you seen one of their mating balls? Particularly fascinating behaviour. 🙂
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Yes, I was watching them on Saturday and saw several mating clusters.
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Lucky you! I must check the local site where I’ve seen it before … when the rain finally stops. 😉
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They’re up here in North Wales – first spotted this species a local ‘nest site’ aggregation back in 2016 which could have been there earlier than that. Happy to say it’s got bigger over the years and spotted first males flitting around last week.
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Good news, Theresa!
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Goodness – another species that I have not heard of! I shall check my Ivy later but I don’t think the flowers are open yet. Here’s hoping!
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These bees only arrived in Britain in 2001 so are not yet found everywhere – they’re slowly spreading north but perhaps haven’t reached your area yet.
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