Saving the small things that run the planet
Blunthorn Nomad Bee
Fast Facts
Latin name: Nomada flavopicta
Notable feature: Nearly hairless black and yellow bee with almost entirely black antennae.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Where in the UK: Widespread but local across England north to Yorkshire. Rare in Wales, not recorded from Scotland or Ireland.
Blunthorn Nomad Bee (Nomada flavopicta) © Tina Ellegaard Poulsen (iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0)
The Blunthorn Nomad Bee (Nomada flavopicta) is boldly marked black and yellow with conspicuous yellow markings on the forewing and thorax. It’s one of the larger nomad species found in the UK.
- Size: 11mm
- Life span: 2.5 months
- Diet: Flowers visited include ragworts, thistles, brambles, heathers, thistles and scabiouses
- Reproduction: This bee is a kleptoparasite, the female lays her eggs in the nests of other bees, specifically Melitta species (blunthorn bees). Her eggs will hatch and then eat the pollen collected by the Melitta bee, as well as the Melitta bee’s young.
- When to see: Late June to mid-September.
- Population Trend: Declining generally.
- Threats: The decline of its host genus, Melitta.
- Interesting Fact: These bees look like wasps, but like all bees they have branched hairs which have evolved to collect pollen. Wasps have straight hairs as they are less closely evolved with flowers.
Buglife is helping the recovery of populations of Blunthorn Nomad Bees and other wildlife viaour projects and campaigns, including Kernow Wyls – People for Pollinators, Solitary Bee Week and B-Lines, but we need your help!
Buglife B-Lines are an imaginative and beautiful solution to the problem of the loss of flowers and pollinators. B-Lines are a series of ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns, along which we are restoring and creating a series of wildflower-rich habitat stepping stones. Linking existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that will weave across the UK landscape. More information about B-Lines and how you can help pollinators can be found here.
Join a recording scheme and log your finds – send any records/sightings to BWARS or download the iRecord app and get recording!
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