Ceanothus - California Lilac and Red bottom Bumblebee - Hunangsfluga - Skordýr - Skrautrunni

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• published: 16 May 2014
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Ceanothus thyrsiflorus - Italian Skies - California Lilac. Blue Flowers. Evergreen Shrub - Mostly hardy in the UK, but can be damaged by frost and wind in exposed situations. See more: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=354 The Californian species are sometimes known as California lilac, but species found elsewhere have other common names, such as New Jersey tea for C. americanus (as its leaves were used as a black tea substitute during colonial times). See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceanothus Bombus lapidaries - Red tailed bumblebee - is probably the most easily recognised species with its black body and bright orange tail. Although its body is as long as that of B. terrestris it is not as heavily built. The workers have the same colouring as the queen, but they are much smaller; some of the early workers are no bigger than house flies. The males (below and above left) have similar colouring, but with more yellow hair. These bees prefer to nest underground and the base of dry stone dykes and walls are popular locations. The size of the nest can vary considerably from over 200 bees to less than 100. They have comparatively short tongues (see the photograph below showing a male extending his tongue) and prefer flowers that form a distinct landing platform, such as daisies, dandelions and thistles. The heads of these flowers are made up of many small florets each containing only a small quantity of nectar. While on these flowers the bees probe many times and walk around the flower rather than fly. So the bees are going for a low yield of nectar per probe, but minimum time and energy between probes. See more: http://www.bumblebee.org/lap.htm Early bumblebee - Bombus pratorum - Queens, workers and males have a yellow band on the thorax and abdomen. The abdominal yellow banding is less pronounced or missing in workers. The tail is often dark orange-red, and may fade with time. Because the colour on the tail is restricted to the final segment, it can be difficult to see while the bee is moving. Early bumblebees are a particularly small species and the workers are markedly smaller than other foraging worker species appearing in the springtime. Males have a broad yellow collar that wraps around the thorax, and yellow hair on the face. See more: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-bees/identification/common-bumblebees/ Á Íslandi eru þrjár tegundir hunangsflugna; móhumla (Bombus jonellus) sem hefur líklega verið á Íslandi frá lokum síðustu ísaldar, garðhumla (Bombus hortorum) sem nam land um 1960 og húshumla (Bombus lucorum) sem nam land árið 1979. Jarðhumla (Bombus terrestris) hefur líka haft einhverja viðkomu á landinu. Að auki hafa rauðhumlur (Bombus hypnorum) nýlega sést á Íslandi og er talið líklegt að þær festi rætur þar. Það er algengur misskilningur að hunangsflugan deyi eftir að hafa stungið en svo er ekki, hún er yfirleytt friðsæl og stingur ekki nema að henni sé ógnað en hún getur stungið oftar en einu sinni. Sjá miera: http://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunangsflugur A bumblebee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee A common bumblebee, found across the countries of western and central Europe. Found widely across the UK. It is regularly encountered in gardens as well as in open countryside and woodland. A relatively large bumblebee. Body length: queens, 20 to 22 mm; workers, 11 to 16 mm; males, 14 to 16 mm. Queens and workers are black all over except for an orange-red tail. Males are similar but have some yellow hair on the face and some yellow markings on the thorax. Typical bumblebee annual life cycle starting with a previously mated queen emerging from hibernation during March and searching for a suitable nesting site in which to start a new colony, usually underground in an old mammal nest. The first eggs produced by the queen hatch into workers, which emerge from April onwards. The colony typically has 300 to 600 workers. See more: http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/species/Bumblebee'2C+Red-tailed+/