Bumblebee news – May enews from BBCT – grymalkyn009@gmail.com – Gmail

Thought you might enjoy this …

The mystery of the ‘small black bumblebee’

We have received a lot of enquiries over the past month about a ‘strange small black bumblebee’ so in this month’s All about the bees blog our Conservation Officer for the South West seeks to clear up the mystery.

This bee is actually not a bumblebee at all but one of the 200+ species of solitary bee that can be found in the UK. It is called the Hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) and is roughly the same size as a bumblebee with a dense furry body. As its name suggests, it has very long distinctive hairs on its legs.

It is mostly confined to southern areas of the UK and can be seen from early February until late June.

Hairy-footed flower bee
Hairy-footed flower bee, female
(Anthophora plumipes)

via Bumblebee news – May enews from BBCT – grymalkyn009@gmail.com – Gmail.