Endon Wildlife: Four new first of the year sightings in Endon.

Another warm day brought four species of bee into my garden for the first time this year. The first three were queens which were searching for nectar in order that they may feed up after enduring winter without food; they survived by living on fat stores in their bodies which were built up at the end on last year's flowering season. These female bees are full of fertilized eggs and will be looking for a place where they can build their nest. It is a frequent sight at this time of year to see a large bumblebee flying close to the ground, investigating holes amongst the grasses and other low vegetation. Unlike with Hive (or Honey) bees, bumblebee queens rear the first batch of daughter bees by themselves; this means she must build enough cells for a several eggs and then provision them with food. The resultant young bees will then become worker bees who are dedicated to rear their sisters and look after their mother. By this stage their mother's sole role is to stay in the nest and lay eggs.

Tree Bumblebee. Sometimes found nesting in bird boxes which are a substitute for holes in trees (taken June 2011).

Red-tailed Bumblebees nest in holes in the ground or walls etc. (taken April 2009)

Common Carder Bumblebees nest in holes in the ground covered with moss (taken May 2010).

The tawny Mining Bee, pictured below has a different life-cycle to the bumblebee. She is one of the many solitary bee species that live in the British Isles. In this species the female is fertilized in spring by a male that is smaller and dark brown. Once she has mated she makes a nest in well-drained soil and her "mining" leaves a little volcano of soil on the surface. As this species is solitary the mother bee does all the nest-building, egg-laying and nest-provisioning. In my garden this species feeds on nectar and/or pollen from gooseberry plants. However the clayey soil appears to deter them from building nests.