Invertebrates

The northern Colletes (Colletes floralis) - UK rare

Colletes floralis is a solitary mining bee typically found on machair grassland on Barra in the Outer Hebrides and on coastal dunes of mainland Scotland. Its distribution is very limited on the mainland, where it is associated with the marram zone of coastal sand dunes.

Habitat

Colletes floralis nests in burrows on gently-sloping, generally southerly, sandy hillocks. Areas around the nests are generally sparsely vegetated. Females tend to nest gregariously in suitable sandy banks. They are active from mid-June to early August, when they are busy stocking nests with pollen. This bee collects pollen from Rubus caesius,Eryngium maritimum, Daucus carota, Thymus spp., Jasione montana, Trifolium repens, Lotus corniculatus, Potentilla spp., Sedum acre, Heracleum sphondylium, Oenanthe spp., Angelica spp., Erica spp. and Hypochoeris spp.

Threats and conservation

The main threat to this species comes from habitat change, which may reduce its floristic diversity. Therefore afforestation, cutting and over-grazing should be limited. This species has a restricted distribution, which makes it vulnerable to any damage to its coastal habitat. The machair habitat is threatened by overgrazing and conversion to other agricultural land uses. This species is likely to be negatively affected by warming of the UK climate.

Source

Douglas, G. 2003. Colletes floralis Eversmann, a mining bee (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). Invertebrate species dossier, Scottish Natural Heritage.