WE ALL know honeybees, and the majority of us are equally familiar with bumblebees, even if we struggle to name them individually, but solitary bees? They are a huge group that most of us know little about, but of the 270 species of bee found in Britain, nearly 250 of them are what are known as solitary bees. If that sounds a lot, some 20,000 bee species have been described worldwide, and there are surely many more yet to be named. For the record, there are 24 species of bumblebees to be found in these isles, along with the single species of honeybee.
Few of the solitary bees have English names, while specific identification is usually a challenge even for experts. A small number are easy to name but for most a microscope is needed: the submarginal cells on the forewing are of great value in specific identification, as is the form of the tongue. It’s a highly complicated business and explains why so few have anything other than a scientific name.
Solitary bees are aptly named, as they don’t live in colonies like honeybees or most bumblebees. None use hives, while more than half of them nest in the ground, where they excavate their own chamber. However, the solitary bees are a remarkably diverse and varied lot, so quite a number of them play by a different set of rules. Some build so-called ‘aerial nests’, typically taking over old beetle holes in vegetation. We also have one species of solitary bee, a small metallic-blue insect called Ceratina cyanea, that excavates its own aerial nest, usually in bramble stems. It digs out the pith of the stem to create the space to lay its eggs. There is also a trio of snail-shell-nesting bees, using empty shells for their nests – a remarkably sensible arrangement.
ãã®èšäºã¯ The Field ã® June 2023 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ The Field ã® June 2023 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
A sweet-pea Summer
Sweet peas are enjoying an Instagram momentâ but to appreciate fully these charming flowers one must hasten back to the real world, says Ursula Buchan
Top sporting stays
Effortlessly smart and with superb shooting and fishing on the doorstep, these British hotels are the perfect base for fieldsports enthusiasts, says Madeleine Silver
Tradition with a twist
Showcasing the finest British produce from honey, beer and butter to game and venison, this monthâs trio of dishes truly encapsulate the taste of Britain, says Philippa Davis
Daylesford
Organic farming at its finest
The best of British breeds
When it comes to developing and establishing the worldâs most popular gundog breeds, Britain has a lot to be proud of, says David Tomlinson
Ping and you're winning
An email alert for burgonets coming to auction draws Roger Fieldâs attention to a promising lot. Meanwhile, a sale from novelist John le Carréâs estate temporarily raises an eyebrow
Saving the queen of flowers
Trailing clouds of glory into your garden, historic roses are as vital a part of British heritage as a Gainsborough painting and must be preserved
Long live the sporting pub
Not just a place to drink, the right kind of country pub is a beacon for fieldsports enthusiasts. The Star Inn in Harome is one such spot
The sole survivors
An increasingly casual attitude to what we wear has given rise to the so-called dress sneakerâ but proper gentlemen's shoes will never go out of fashion
A win in the willow
The cricket bat industry is steeped in tradition yet must move with the times to meet demand, opening a lucrative door for landowners in the process