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bumble ID ?
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:47 pm
by Nature's Babe
We get a good variety of bees here, but today I saw a smallish bumble bee type i had not seen before,it was black/ fuzzy but not thick fuzz, but shiny in the sunlight its wings were translucent with a electric blue quality, body/ tail also gave off a blue luminescence though basically black, no stripes. It was visiting our pot marigiolds. Can anyone help identify it please ?
Re: bumble ID ?
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:40 pm
by alan refail
Here's a DIY guide
http://www.bumblebee.org/key.htmWork through the list on the left-hand panel.
Good hunting - should keep you buzzy
Re: bumble ID ?
Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:13 pm
by MikA
May be a Blue Mason Bee or similar - not a Bumble bee.
Re: bumble ID ?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:23 pm
by Nature's Babe
thanks Alan, i have seen bombus subterranous and muscorum all ginger, which are rare - we are near a saltmarsh.
Re: bumble ID ?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:37 pm
by Nature's Babe
mike thank you will look that up, yes looks like it was a blue mason bee, plenty trees round here with holes for their nesting and they also need mud which my ducks love to create by puddling from water bowls / ponds even in summer. It must have been a female cos quite large and fat like a small bumble.
picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57734089@N03/6866476710/