BEES + WASPS + ANTS

Bees are special to us, not only because of their beauty and fascinating lifestyles, but also because of their pollination duties, especially the honey bee. It is perhaps surprising that there are 250 different bee species in the UK. The most obvious are, of course, the bumbles, with 24 different kinds. The remainder are ‘solitary’ bees that do not ‘hive’, but nest individually. However, many types nest near each other in colonies.

The most recent addition to our UK list is the ivy bee, first noted in 2001 and only present in our area since around 2014. For more information, click the link to our talk on Ivy Bees at the bottom of the page.

Wasps too are a complicated family, well beyond the yellow-and-black picnic-spoiling jam addicts with some 9,000 different British species. Then of course is that most imposing of creatures, the hornet.

​And if we believe ants come just in black or red, we need to think again as there are over 50 species to seek out.

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What’s happening to bees, wasps and ants in Maidenhead?

To be honest, nobody knows! There are so few records on the national data schemes, and relatively few people with the skills or inquisitiveness to study them, so one can only guess. It is well known that the honey bee is in severe decline, but it is not the only member of its family to serve us with essential pollination activity, and it would be good to see more local information.

What can I do?

If you have a garden, consider growing plants that can provide food for bees.

Be nosey! Become inquisitive about the flying insects in the garden and sketch or photograph what you see. Armed with that information, there are excellent web sites to get more help from, especially ‘BWARS’ (www.bwars.com/) with its ID gallery and a recording facility for your sightings.

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Get smart! Perhaps join a training course, such as the Bumble Bee course run by Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) – www.tverc.org/cms/content/tverc-training-programme.

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Think local! Our county Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has excellent online facilities at www.bbowt.org.uk/wildlife/wildlife-advice/bees/different-kinds-bees ​

Observe and record. If you find a bumblebee nest, observe it using this nest recording sheet and send it to Wild Maidenhead co-founder Trevor Smith, email: trevorbugsmith@gmail.com.