This bee is one of my favourites (I have a lot of favourites). The hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) emerges in early spring and is mainly found in the south of the country, although there is an outlier northern population in The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland. These photos (all of males) were taken last week in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire. The season is significantly delayed this year as I saw only two females and far fewer males than the same week last year.
These two pictures show the long hairs on the middle legs.
The males were exploring the holes in the wall, hoping to come across a freshly emerged female. Some of them were also using the holes for a rest.
The wall holds hidden hazards for small bees, such as this spider.
These two unfortunate bees ended up in the larder. You can see the bee's very long proboscis in the second photo.
Female hairy-footed flower bees don't have hairy feet but are saddled with that name because of their mates. They also look very different - being larger and completely black apart from orange hind legs. I hope to see more of them when I next visit.
Too sad - nature in tooth and claw, or rather a soft but lethal silken web, wonderful photos Chris.
ReplyDelete