What insects have you found?
Are they quite large furry and rounded?
Are they going in the ground or low down in something like a compost bin?
These will be BUMBLE BEES.
They have small nest about fist size. Once established the Queen bee stays inside and lays eggs whilst smaller bumble bees begin to forage for
nectar and pollen. They are loath to sting but bump into things as they
are bad flyers. They will all die in the autumn except for a few new Queens who will go away and hibernate until next spring. They do not return to the same nest. They are protected and do so much good in the garden by pollinating plants. More at http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/
Are there 20 or more seen at any one time flying in and out of a small hole?
Have they just appeared in the late spring? May time?
They are much needed and could be collected by beekeepers, but if inside a wall cavity this is impossible.
If you find a large mass of bees hanging on a branch or clinging to a fence post this may be a SWARM of bees and could be removed by a beekeeper. Contact names on this web site or your LocalAuthority
Are they yellow and black striped?
Do they fly in zig-zag way and very quickly?
Can you see a paper nest like a football size and shape?
These may be WASPS.
A queen wasp will make a paper nest in a roof space, garden shed or sometimes a thick hedge in May. You will probably not see her as she quietly works. Wasps are carnivores and will help the gardener remove caterpillars and bugs which they use as food, but in August they turn to needing sugar and can become a nuisance. This is when you will first encounter wasp problems.
Is there an area of lawn or brick wall where there are insects flying?
Are they small and only about 3 or 4 seen at any one time?
Are there lots of little holes in the lawn or wall?
There are about 200 different SOLITARY BEES in the UK and this may be one of these.
For a lot more information on Solitary Bees click on this link
All bees are essential to our well-being. We cannot live without bees pollinating our fruit vegetables and the seeds and fruits, which birds and animals eat. We need to protect them at all cost or world supplies of food will diminish .If the insects are left alone they will not harm you. Bees only sting in self defence and will die if they do have to sting you.
Why not watch them at work and see what colour pollen they are returning with.
Contact your local Council or Police for help and names of local beekeepers.
Jo Telfer. jvtelfer@hotmail.com
Flies that mimic bees
Bee Flies - Bombylius major
Bombylius major, is the largest and best known of the British species. The body is stout and furry, so that the fly has a strong superficial resemblance to a bumblebee, although the long, spindly legs are rather different from those of a bee.
Hoverfly- Volucella pellucens
Although these brightly-coloured insects look like bees or wasps, they are in fact true flies and do not sting. Hoverflies are excellent examples of Batesian mimicry (named after H W Bates who first described it in 1862). They generally mimic bees and wasps – insects that sting and also taste unpleasant, so are avoided by predators.
Drone Fly – Eristalis tenax
Drone-flies mimic honey bees, Volucella bombylans (pictured) has several different forms mimicking bumblebees, while others species are very convincing wasp mimics.
