Four-banded Flower bee (Anthophora quadrimaculata)

There are five species of flower bees in the UK one of which A. retusa has declined so much it's now very rare.

All four of the other species popped by the garden last year, the common Hairy-footed Flower bee (A. plumipes) and the Green-eyed Flower bee (A. bimaculata) I have already featured here on Jungledragon.

A. quadrimaculata is a pretty scarce species with a range in the UK restricted to the south east.

It has a preference for flower-filled gardens, with a particular liking of lamiates such as cat-mints and garden lavenders.

Luckily for me, it also occurs on chalk downland and on soft-rock cliffs foraging on flowers such as Black Horehound, between early June and August.

Prioducing a single generation each year, small aggregations of nests have been found on sandy ground, banks and cliffs, clay and stone walls, and between mortar joints of walls.

Just the Fork-tailed Flower bee (A. furcata) to come.