Ivy Bees

I have been trying to convert my front lawn into a wildflower meadow over the last two summers. This year I gave it a mow in the first week of September and it was immediately colonised by solitary mining bees.

Ivy Bee, Colletes hederae, on the spoil heap of excavated soil from its burrow. Thanks to Steven Falk for the identification.

 The whole lawn is covered in similar little patches of excavated soil.

My garden is on the edge of the South Downs, and the soil is chalky. There appears to be a layer of sand under the front lawn, no doubt a relic of the building site when the house was built.

One of the burrows. Each adult may be feeding 3 or 4 larvae.

The lawn is sloped and faces the south. The bees are particularly active on warm sunny days. I assume the warmth helps speed the development of the larvae, which will then attempt to hibernate as adults. I have several large patches of ivy in the garden, which I have deliberately left to flower. Hopefully they will help sustain these bees.