As their name suggests they feed and collect Ivy pollen and nectar on Ivy flowers.
The males emerge in late August and the females later in early September. The females are quite a bit larger than the males and the male’s only task in life is to mate!
The males will cluster around the female until one has mated then all fly off.
The Bees will be on the wing until mid-November if weather conditions are right.
They are solitary bees but in suitable conditions they will nest in large colonies in sandy or similar soil.
The males Bees do not have a sting and the females an ineffective one likened to a nettle sting.
The Bees were noticed by Alan Dawson today in Cholsey and the following photos were taken by Alan.
Under all the cluster of Bees is a female as can be seen in some photos!
There was a load of bees swarming around a lawn along Station Road early this week, did you hear about those
ReplyDeleteThese are the same ones Bill
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