Spring Flower Bee/

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

 
   

The female of Anthophora plumipes, the Spring Flower Bee, is shown. It is a long-tongued bee, needing to drink from tubular flowers. Both male and female awake from hibernation around March and are active until May/June. The female is large and black with distinctive yellow hairs on the hind leg.

 

   
Although called "solitary" bees, the flower bees will often excavate their nest holes together in groups. Usually these will be horizontally in crumbling mortar or soft masonry. The one above is unusual in being vertical in the ground (beside a block of flats in north London). Melecta albifrons, female above, is a "cuckoo" bee, a parasite, laying its eggs in nest holes of the spring flower bees.