BEES AND WASP INFORMATION
Honey Bees Mainly kept by beekeepers, but can be found living wild. They are a similar size to a wasp but are overall darker in colour, ranging from black to tan coloured banding. Honey Bees always live in a colony with a queen bee in charge, in which, numbers could reach up to 20000 bees. Honey bees frequent gardens to collect pollen and nectar and require fluids to survive, often visiting ponds or other water sources to collect. If left alone, they are normally harmless but can cause panic when they swarm in large numbers and will sting to protect the queen. Honey bees are valuable to the...
Read MoreWHAT IS THAT INSECT?
The collection of pictures below can be used to help identify what insect you have come into contact with: Bumblebees – Larger than the honeybee and other bees, always furry, the common ones usually have tails that are either white, red, buff or brown and some have yellow bands. Honeybee and solitary bees – Smaller than bumblebees, they can vary in colour from all-black to orange bands – can easily be mistaken for wasps. Hoverflies and...
Read MoreIVY IN THE GARDEN
For those people lucky enough to have a garden, now is the time to experience some unusual occurrences that only happen this time of the year, but the conditions have to be just right! If you have sandy based soil and short grass with a sunny outlook, you may notice small holes appearing in the ground and insects busily excavating. It may be a couple, or hundreds depending on the location and the culprit is the Ivy Bee. The Ivy Bee is a solitary bee and is the last to emerge in the year, normally mid to late September until November. Once mated, the female digs a burrow in loose sand or...
Read MoreIS IT A BEE, HORNET OR A WASP?
With the warmer weather that is now with us, the calls for help regarding Bees and Wasps have dramatically increased over the past couple of weeks and are likely to continue until the end of the season. With many different types of insects involved identification can be confusing, so here is a little help! There are 24 species of Bumble Bees in the United Kingdom and 225 species of solitary bees, but only 1 species of Honey Bee. There are also 8 species of Wasps. Confused? The general rule is to leave alone until you are sure what you...
Read MoreAn Insight into Bees
As the calls for help regarding Bees and Wasps are starting to increase, it is a good idea to look into what Bees are likely to be doing during the coming year. Spring Species of Solitary Bees are emerging from their respective holes and in some cases, causing alarm, because they are being mistaken for Wasps. Nesting areas can include holes in loose mortars of buildings and walls or from areas of short, mown grass, whilst others prefer bare soil. As temperatures rise, Honeybees will be seen more frequently as they collect pollen for local hives. Single Bumblebees can be seen foraging...
Read MoreHONEY BEES – BUMBLE BEES – SOLITARY BEES – WASPS – HORNETS
With warmer weather expected at this time of year, animals and insects will thrive and we can expect to see increased insect activity including Bees and Wasps. There are several hundred different types of bees that can be found in the UK and they can be classified into groups. One of the main groups are social Bees and these can include both Honey Bees and Bumble Bees. Honey Bees are very sociable and can live in groups of up to 50000 including a Queen, workers, drones and of course larvae, pupae and eggs. They are normally associated with bee hives, but can be found living in the wild in...
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