Ivy Bees, Colletes hederae, were first recorded in Rutland in October 2017. But this year numbers have really taken off here. More...

This quite large and attractive bee is distinctive because of its broad yellow abdominal bands and ginger thorax. Freshly emerged females are unmistakable, though care needs to be taken with males or older faded specimens. The Ivy Bee nests in loose soil, favouring warm south-facing banks. Nesting aggregations can be huge in suitable locations with thousands of nests. Pollen is collected almost exclusively from Ivy which must be available near to the nest sites. This species was only described as new to science in 1993 and first recorded on the south coast of the UK in 2001. Shortly after the first VC55 record I began writing about it, and records trickled in annually during its flight season from September to the end of November. This year it has really taken off here, with records pouring in. We still need to gather as much data as we can about this newly arrived species, so please spend a minute or two observing any stands of flowering Ivy and send us your photos of any bees you see.