Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

Our species of the month for October is the Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae). This moderately-sized bee is the last solitary bee to emerge in the autumn and feeds on ivy (as the name suggests). 

Despite being solitary, you often see large aggregations of the bees in one place, and so far in 2025 we have seen a huge number of Ivy bees covering ivy across the island. Ivy bees are important pollinators, but as insects found in big groups they can be vulnerable to invasive Yellow-legged Hornets (Vespa velutina) predating them.

Traditionally a central European species, the first UK records came in 2001 and they have been spreading north. Alderney's first record of the species came in 2008, but the species was likely here for much longer.

A brilliant summary of the species can be found on the BWARS website.