Wingless Bee

Travel restrictions seem to be gradually easing and I am looking forward to being able to get out birding a bit more in the near future. Up to now I have been trying to play by the rules, so my photographic efforts are still very much based around the insect life in the garden. There is a lot to learn and as always identification is an issue. I have done my best to put names to the pictures but treat them with a degree of caution and let me know if there are any that are obviously wrong.

The first few shots are of Bumblebees and these are not an easy subject. Their tendency to adopt a curved shape when nectaring, with head and tail buried in the flower, makes it is very difficult to get the front and back end detail into one picture. They also move very fast and vibrate a lot so you need a high shutter speed to stop the action. However, the biggest problem I have is the type of plants in the garden. We planted a lot of bee friendly flowers but being bee friendly does not make them photographer friendly. Most are bell shaped or tubular so that the bees land head first and disappear into the flower leaving only their bums sticking out the back. They also reverse out at speed giving you no chance of a picture. You really need daisy type plants where the bee sits out on top of the flower head and then has to spend time gathering nectar from the multitude of tiny florets.

The first of my Bumblebees is not too difficult.  Bombus hypnorum the Tree Bumblebee, is unique in having a ginger  thorax, black abdomen and white tail.

Tree Bumblebee - Bombus hypnorum 

Tree Bumblebee - Bombus hypnorum - showing the white tail

Next up Bombus terrestris the Buff-tailed Bumblebee. It has a white tail but can be separated from that species by the narrow buff band between the white tail and black of the abdomen.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee  -  Bombus terrestris

Even more interesting is this wingless Buff-tailed Bumblebee. I suspect born without wings probably as a result of the Deformed Wing Virus rather than lost its wings to a predator. The bee seemed well adapted to its way of life. I first spotted it travelling at great speed across the patio and out onto the lawn to feed on the clover flowers. I found it again the next day following a similar pattern.

There are a lot of Buff-tails in the garden at the moment but I am not sure where their nest is. It would be interesting to know if this individual is still part of the collective. Does it return to the nest or is it is now forced to live the life of a solitary bee? It seems to be healthy and fit and could live for weeks, possibly months, but its survival raises all sorts of issues. I think I need the help of a bee psychologist.

Wingless Buff-tailed Bumblebee - Bombus terrestris

Another view showing the deformed/damaged wings on its left side. There is no wing structure on its right side.

Wingless Buff-tailed Bumblebee - Bombus terrestris

So far so good but what about the next two. Very similar colour patterns but in both cases there is a yellow patch, or part band, between the black and white on the abdomen. It is much thicker than the fringe on the Buff-tailed above. This suggests Vestal or Gypsy Cuckoo Bees and if I am on the right track probably Vestal as it is more common in the area I live in.

Vestal Cuckoo Bee  -  Bombus vestalis   ???

Vestal Cuckoo Bee  -  Bombus vestalis   ???

The next one is not a Bumblebee but as the picture was so good I had to include it.

Honey Bee  -  Apis melifera

The last shot is of a Heath Sand Wasp. There were some good clues to help identify this one, such as it was found on a Sussex Heath and it was just disappearing into a hole in the sand. 

There is always something new to learn. I am now intrigued by how it can construct a narrow tunnel into the sand that does not collapse as it enters and reverses out.

Heath Sand Wasp  -  Ammophila sabulosa

I have also gathered a few more pictures of Hoverflies but these will be in the next blog.