As summer begins to recede, a distinctive solitary bee starts appearing in gardens, hedgerows and sunny patches of bare ground. The ivy bee, 'Colletes hederae', emerges later than most British bees, timing its appearance with the flowering of ivy.
We are now seeing these striking bees active around the distillery garden. At first glance, they can resemble small honey bees. Look more closely and the differences become clear. The ivy bee has an orange-brown, densely haired thorax and a glossy black abdomen crossed by sharply defined cream-coloured bands. Adults measure around 10 to 13 millimeters long.
THOUGH SOLITARY | COLONY
Ivy bees are solitary. They do not live in hives, produce honey or form colonies containing a queen and workers. Each female excavates and manages her own underground nest.
However, suitable nesting ground may attract hundreds or even thousands of individual females. These nesting aggregations can create the impression of a busy colony, with numerous bees flying close to the ground and entering neighbouring holes. Despite their proximity, each female remains responsible for her own burrow and offspring.
The females favour warm, lightly vegetated and well-drained soil. Lawns, garden borders, footpaths, roadside banks and south-facing slopes can all provide suitable conditions. The entrance usually resembles a small round hole surrounded by loose excavated soil.
Inside, the female constructs a series of individual brood cells. She lines them with a waterproof, cellophane-like substance before stocking each one with pollen and nectar and laying an egg. The larvae develop underground, emerging as adults the following autumn.
DO NOT CONFUSE WITH HONEY BEE
Honey bees are highly social insects. A honey bee colony contains a queen, thousands of workers and, during the warmer months, male drones. The workers cooperate to defend the hive, rear young, gather food and produce stores of honey that sustain the colony.
Ivy bees have no queen, worker caste or shared food store. Their nesting behaviour is independent, even when large numbers occupy the same patch of ground.
They are also remarkably placid. Male ivy bees cannot sting, while females rarely attempt to do so unless handled or trapped. A busy nesting site may look alarming, but it presents very little risk to people or pets.
WHY IVY MATTERS
Ivy provides one of the most valuable late-season sources of pollen and nectar. Its small green-yellow flowers open when many other plants have finished, supporting ivy bees, honey bees, hoverflies, butterflies and other insects preparing for winter.
Ivy forms the principal food source for this species, although adults may also visit late-flowering plants such as autumn daisies. Their emergence usually begins from late August or September and continues into November, depending on weather and the availability of flowers.
ONLY APPEARED IN 2001 IN DORSET
- The first confirmed British ivy bee was recorded in Dorset in 2001.
- Since then, the species has spread across much of southern England and Wales. Its appearance in Wiltshire gardens now reflects this continuing natural expansion.
- The species has become established remarkably quickly because ivy remains widespread across gardens, woodland edges, buildings and hedgerows.
- Warm autumn weather can also extend its period of activity.
HOW TO SUPPORT THEM
- Allow some mature ivy to flower before cutting it back.
- Leave small areas of sunny, well-drained ground undisturbed.
- Avoid pesticides around flowers and nesting areas.
- Do not block nest entrances or dig through an active aggregation.
- Grow additional late-flowering plants to provide alternative nectar.
An ivy bee nesting site does not require treatment or removal. Activity lasts for only a few weeks, and the nests cause no structural damage. Leaving the ground alone gives the next generation the best chance of emerging successfully.
The sudden appearance of these bees is a positive sign. They are efficient autumn pollinators and another example of the wildlife using the varied habitats around our gardens and the Wiltshire Downs.
It is wonderful to see them in the distillery garden.
