27 flowers used by solitary bees for nectar and pollen
Each one of the flowers is actually used by and in most cases, bees have been filmed actually foraging or has just finished foraging on it. All flowers were filmed in my garden, except for the parsnips growing on an allotment site where I was working. I left them to go to seed specifically for their flowers and it worked a treat.
Some years ago I saw a female Hairy-footed flower bee female (Anthophora plumipes) in my garden. Females with pollen can be mistaken for bumblebees. BWARS states that they are particularly fond of Lungwort. So off I went and bought some flowers and left them on a tray prior to being planted. This female could not wait for me to plant them!! For me, it’s great when you buy flowers for a particular bee and the bee uses them. Another flower this happens with was ‘Echium’ Blue bedder, loved by the common yellow face bee. (Hylaeus communis). It enabled me to film its life cycle inside my Nurturing Nature nest box. This flower is a smaller annual version of the wild Viper’s bugloss.
Well, I never! A male Wool carder bee foraging inside a foxglove
I am aware that bumblebees use foxgloves but never knew that Wool carder bees would also use them. I spotted this male going inside and just managed to film him as he exited. Many more flowers are used by solitary bees, so sit, watch and make a note as to which flowers they use. Then plant them!
Watch the film to see what flowers the solitary bees used.
“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my presentations and sales of award-winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee boxes and summer units. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk Thank you” George Pilkington
There are many more flowers to attract solitary bees and I am compiling another list for another film.
Download a BWARS Hairy-footed flower bee information sheet
For info and link to buy an excellent book Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland by Steven Falk
An extremely useful resource supports this book by a special website feature within Steve Falk’s Flickr website which furnishes extra photos and other useful resources to assist with identification.
Solitary Bees book by Ted Benton
Interested in Citizen Science and pollinators? The Buzz Club
Read my review of Dave Goulsons latest book, ‘Gardening for Bumblebees’
Hello there. We are new to keeping Bumblebees. We bought a box with hive, it has the white fluffy bedding. When I came to look at the nest at 3am, (I have a chronic health condition and couldn’t sleep), I saw some bees bringing out the bedding and plugging the entrance with the bedding, so much so that it was coming out of the entrance tunnel. This morning they are flying in and out as normal, the entrance clear. Is this normal behaviour? Nothing showed up on an extensive google search! Many thanks for your time. Best wishes.
Yes Sharon they plug the entrance hole to keep the warmth in when it is cold. How sensible is that?!! Cheers, George NN