Having admired the many
photographs of Pantaloon Bees at Minsmere RSPB doing the rounds on Twitter over
the past few weeks, I was longing to see these interesting insects for myself.
Sadly, at over 4 hours away,
Suffolk was just a tad too far to travel just to get my fix of quirkily named
bees (if they had been referred to as Hairy Legged Mining Bees I don’t think
I’d have been anywhere near as smitten with them) and it looked like any chance
to see them would be off the cards. Luckily for me, the stars aligned at the
beginning of August when a Purple Swamphen touched down at Minsmere, positively
forcing me to take a day off mid-week to go and see it and offering the perfect
chance to simultaneously search for these fascinating bees.
With the Swamphen safely under
our belts, we headed over to the sandy patches of ground along the North Wall
where the Pantaloon Bees had been seen, a helpful member of RSPB staff on hand
to guide visitors and help identify any bees or wasps.
After a long wait searching in
the cloudy weather, a number of other interesting bees and wasps buzzing around
to keep us occupied, we eventually struck it lucky with a single Pantaloon Bee,
busy excavating a burrow in the sandy ground, the thick bristly hairs on the
back legs getting caked with sand as it scurried backwards through the
substrate before scraping it off revealing the beautiful furry hairs underneath.
 |
| It is only the female bees that have woolly “pantaloon” legs as they are the ones that sweep away the sand creating burrows in which to lay their eggs. |
Truly fascinating creatures and
the only species of Hairy Legged Mining Bee in the UK, we were totally
captivated as we watched her dig out her burrow again and again, backing out of
the entrance hole before dashing back in each time – amazing!!
The majority of sandy burrows
on the slope were also occupied by the ferocious sounding Bee Wolf – fearsome
wasps that predate on the Honey Bees in the area, paralysing them and carrying
them back to their nests in a rather menacing fashion.
 |
| Looking carefully, the Bee Wolves carry the Honey Bees in such a way that if they attempt to sting back, only the armoured part of the Bee Wolf’s body is presented. |
Once stored in the burrow, the
females will then lay an egg on the paralysed bee, ensuring the hatched larva
has a sufficient food supply when it emerges. We saw several eyes peeking out
of the occupied burrows, and these extensive tunnels can often hold up to 6
immobilised Honey Bees in chambers ready for the young wasp larvae to feed upon.
For anyone who hasn’t had the
opportunity to experience these delightful and quirky bees themselves, a trip
to Minsmere in sunny weather next summer is definitely recommended!
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