Priority Species | Insects | Northern Colletes
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Latin name: Colletes floralis
Family: Colletidae
Description of the Northern Colletes
The Northern Colletes is a rare species of solitary mining bee found along coastal areas. These medium size bees live in underground burrows in sandy soil found around flower rich grasslands. The Northern Colletes cannot fly very far, a distance thought to be less than 500 metres. Therefore the bees only travel necessary short distances between their nesting sites and foraging areas.
The bee’s abdomen is mostly black with narrow white bands between segments; this is the same for both males and females although the females are slightly longer and darker. The females are slightly larger than the males, however both have lots of tawny hairs along the head and thorax. The hairs are a little paler on and around the face of the bees. The bees are particularly fond of sunshine and are often most active on warm, sunny days.
From June to August the bees are busy making nests and finding mates. When the weather is cool or wet the bees are less likely to be active in mating, which may have an influence on the reproductive success from year to year.
These bees do not live in social colonies like the bumblebees you are probably more familiar with. Instead, each female builds a nesting tunnel of her own. The nests may be close to each other but the bees themselves are solitary. The female’s burrows can be up to 10 inches deep and it is here that they lay their eggs. The larvae from the eggs stay in the nest all through the winter and finally emerge as adults the following year to mate and make nests of their own. The males generally emerge before the females.
Size
The bee is 8–15mm in length from the head to the end of the abdomen, or the hind region of the body.
Historical Info
Not much is known of the history of this bee, but it was probably much more widespread throughout Northern Ireland in the past.
The Northern Colletes's Habitat
A large part of the world population of Northern Colletes is found around the coastal areas in the north of Northern Ireland and north and west Scotland. Some groups have been found in the Republic of Ireland. This species in the UK is classified as a rare species and the UK population represents as much as 50% of the entire current range. The bees like flower rich grasslands with sandy soil/sand dune systems for nesting.
Diet
Pollen from a wide variety of plants.
Threats to the Northern Colletes
The low population of Northern Colletes makes them difficult to study. It is thought that the main threats to the species are the continuing loss of herb-rich dune grasslands resulting in less food and fewer appropriate nesting sites. Climate change is also thought to be another factor that may negatively effect the population of this species.
