Key facts
- Distribution in Scotland: Outer Hebrides, Inner Hebrides, Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll and Ayrshire.
- When to see: Mid-June – mid-August
- Status: Listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan list and classified as rare
- Species on the Edge areas: Argyll and Inner Hebrides; Outer Hebrides
Species information
How to identify
The northern colletes is a medium-sized solitary mining bee. It has fox-coloured hairs on the upper side of the thorax and head and a black abdomen with a narrow white band on each segment.
Lifecycle
Northern colletes emerge in mid-June and mate soon after. The males will then die and the female constructs a burrow in which she will lay her eggs. Each egg is sealed inside its own cell with enough food for the larva to survive through the winter, before pupating in the burrow and emerging as an adult the following June.
Distribution
Most widely-distributed in western Scotland, in the Outer and Inner Hebrides, and in Ireland. Also found in mainland Argyll, Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire. It also has two locations in Cumbria
Habitat and feeding
Habitat: Coastal sand dunes and flower-rich machair grassland.
Feeding: Northern colletes are polylectic (they will feed on a wide variety of flowering plants). Favourite plants include wild carrot, hogweed, clovers, wild thyme and sheep’s-bit.
Conservation status
The northern colletes is listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) list and is classified as rare.
Threats
The species is vulnerable to extinction due to their restricted and fragmented populations. Populations are threatened by loss of breeding and foraging habitat due to coastal development, changes to grazing regimes and climate change.
What Species on the Edge is doing
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Monitoring and surveying to find new populations and better understand the species’s needs, distribution and abundance
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Talking to landowners about small-scale habitat enhancements
Our work for the northern colletes
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