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Bumblebee ID The Hairy-footed flower bee

guides Photo: female
to purchase on Lungwort by Ian
(Anthophora plumipes)
Gregory

With bumblebee season finally here, the Trust has Purchase our
an excellent selection of bumblebee ID guides to mobile app.
help you identify bumblebees in paper format or Search ‘BEE ID’ by Dr Nikki Gammans, Short-haired bumblebee reintroduction Project Manager
digital. All the items listed, can be purchased via on the App Store.
our merchandise page at: Not currently Have you spotted little furry black bees that look like bumblebees in your
available for
www.bumblebeeconservation.org/product- android. garden or nesting in your brick walls during February to June? Perhaps
category/merchandise/ they are visiting your lungwort and primroses?
These bees are in fact the Hairy- Once an egg is laid, the female provides
footed flower bee (Anthophora it with nectar and pollen and it will
plumipes). One of the first solitary emerge as an adult next year.
bees of the year to emerge in spring The Hairy-footed flower bee is
and people often confuse them for frequently found in urban greenspaces,
small bumblebees, although their parks and gardens from February to
quick darting flight motion is a good June. They are most common in the
way to tell them apart.
south and south east, although they are
The males and females look very found throughout England and Wales,
different from each other. The males with records from Scotland in recent
What’s that Bumblebees - UK bumblebee Pocket-sized ID are pale gingery brown in colour with years.
bumblebee . . ? an introduction poster guide 3-pack distinctive cream coloured hair on These harmless little bees are
ID guide book their faces. They also have distinctive fascinating to watch, with their ‘darting’
feathery hairs on their legs/feet, which
£2.50 £10.00 £2.00 £5.00 is where this species gets its name motion, and you can encourage them
into your garden by planting lungwort,
An updated Perfect for Our ID poster Get our three from. These bees can often be seen comfrey, flowering currant and
version of our beginners wanting showing all 24 handy pocket- patrolling areas of flowers in the primroses.
bumblebee field to know more UK bumblebee sized identification hopes of finding a mate and chasing
ID guide, now about the UK’s species. A2 guides to the other insects off their territory. The
with photos of bumblebees, their sized, it’s UK’s 8 common females are very different to males,
each species, ecology and how perfect for your bumblebees, they are black all over, except for
colour coding to identify them. classroom, 8 scarce orange/red hairs on their hind legs.
and tips to help study or bumblebees They lay their eggs in shallow hollows
with identification children’s and 6 cuckoo in soft mortar, cob walls, cliff faces Photos: (left) Male Hairy-footed flower
in the field. bedroom wall! bumblebees. Also and exposed soil banks, and will be bee by Dave Sawyer; (right) Female
sold separately. on the wing for about 6-8 weeks. Hairy-footed flower bee by Ken East

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