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Feather-footed bee
Posted by: Richard Jones, 09 April 2008, 10.57AM
There's something buzzing round the grape hyacinths. It's a fat, furry brown bee and it's being very animated. I love these insects and get a real buzz myself seeing them each year, because they're one of the true heralds of spring. Anthophora plumipes is not a bumblebee (although it's about the same size), and has no commonly used English name, which is a shame because it's a characteristic and widespread garden insect. I've always described it as the 'feather-footed bee' (the Latin - plumipes - is an apt descriptor here), but I've also seen 'hairy-footed bee' and 'flower bee'.
Only the males have the feathery feet - the middle pair - but I've never been able to find out what they use them for. The sexes are easy to tell apart without having to examine hairy legs, and it's the males that I've been seeing for the last couple of weeks, with their pale brown thorax and dark brown abdomen. The females are jet black, except for their back legs, which are bright orange with the hairs they use to collect pollen.
Both males and females are much quicker on the wing than bumblebees, zipping about at top speed between bursts of exceptionally accurate hovering. They also have a distinctive high-pitched whining buzz when they are flying. Often a bunch of males will relentlessly pursue a lone female trying to go about her business of nectar and pollen gathering.
The females make small tunnel nests in loose mortar, so old garden walls are better than new. I've no idea where they can be nesting round here, but someone must be less up-to-date with their repointing than most of my neighbours.
The first female I've seen (last Thursday) was also at the grape hyacinths, but then turned her attention to a twisted wrought-iron garden ornament. No place to nest in there, though.
Comments
dippy8
10 April 2008, 08.06PM
Heather
11 April 2008, 12.02PM
Ingrid
13 April 2008, 09.10AM
Margaret Lorde
14 April 2007, 12.13PM
Kate
14 April 2008, 05.17PM
Kate, gardenersworld.com - reply to Kate
15 April 2008, 09.10AM
dippy8
22 April 2008, 08.32PM
Richard Jones
23 April 2008, 09.15AM
olive A
30 April 2008, 07.21PM
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