This high quality FSC Bees guide features 28 species of bees found in gardens in Britain and Ireland. As well as the ‘Big Six’ bumblebees, the guide includes mining bees, cavity-nesting bees and cuckoo bees.
Beautiful colour paintings by Chris Shields highlight key identification features. Silhouettes next to each image show typical life size for each species.
The reverse side includes concise identification notes for each species. This text covers key characters to look out for, plus flight period, habitat and range. Also included are useful pointers to help distinguish between similar-looking species.
There are over 250 species of bee in Britain and Ireland. Bumblebees and honeybees are social bees, living in in colonies. But 90% of British species are solitary, with each nest the work of a single female. Mining bees excavate nest tunnels and cells in the ground. Cavity-nesting bees (including mason bees and leafcutters) use pre-existing cavities such as hollow plant stems, or a bee hotel. Cuckoo bees have a similar nesting strategy to the cuckoo bird. A female cuckoo bee will seek out the nest of another bee to lay her eggs. The Sharp-tailed Bee is a cuckoo bee frequent in gardens.
You can easily increase the number of bee species in your garden. Plant a mix of shallow open flowers for short-tongued bees and deeper tubular flowers for long-tongued species. Providing flowers for as long as possible through the year from early spring to late autumn will help the greatest number of bees. Undisturbed compost heaps and log piles are useful nesting and hibernation sites for bumblebees.
The FSC bees guide was produced in partnership with Buglife.
Mwongozo huu wa ubora wa juu wa FSC unatoa aina 28 za nyuki zinazopatikana katika bustani za Uingereza na Ireland. Mbali na nyuki aina ya "Big Six", mwongozo huo unatia ndani nyuki wa kuchimba madini, nyuki wanaofanya viota vyao katika mashimo na nyuki wanaoitwa cuckoo. Michoro maridadi ya rangi iliyochorwa na Chris Shields huonyesha mambo makuu ya utambulisho. Picha zilizo karibu na kila picha zinaonyesha ukubwa wa kawaida wa kila spishi. Upande wa nyuma una maelezo mafupi ya utambulisho wa kila spishi. Maandishi haya yanazungumzia wahusika muhimu wa kuangalia nje, pamoja na kipindi cha ndege, makazi na mbalimbali. Pia kuna vidokezo vinavyotumiwa kutofautisha spishi zinazofanana. Kuna aina zaidi ya 250 za nyuki nchini Uingereza. Nyuki na nyuki wa asali ni nyuki wa kijamii, wanaoishi katika makoloni. Lakini 90% ya spishi za Uingereza ni za pekee, na kila kiota ni kazi ya mwanamke mmoja. Nyuki wa kuchimba madini huchimba mifereji ya viota na chembe chini ya ardhi. Nyuki wanaofanya viota (ikiwa ni pamoja na nyuki wa mason na leafcutters) hutumia viwanja vilivyopo hapo awali kama vile shina la mmea la matope, au hoteli ya nyuki. Nyuki wa aina ya cuckoo wana mbinu kama hiyo ya kufanya viota. Nyuki-kuuki wa kike hutafuta kiota cha nyuki mwingine ili kuweka mayai yake. Nyuki mwenye mkia mkali ni nyuki anayeitwa cuckoo ambaye mara nyingi hupatikana katika bustani. Unaweza kuongeza idadi ya aina za nyuki katika bustani yako. Panda mchanganyiko wa maua ya chini ya wazi kwa nyuki wenye ulimi mfupi na maua ya ndani ya mabomba kwa spishi zenye ulimi mrefu. Kuandaa maua kwa muda mrefu iwezekanavyo mwaka mzima kutoka mapema katika majira ya kuchipua hadi mwishoni mwa vuli itasaidia idadi kubwa zaidi ya nyuki. Mkusanyiko wa mbolea na rundo la mbao zisizovurugwa ni mahali pazuri pa nyuki kufanya viota na kulala usingizi. Mwongozo wa nyuki wa FSC ulitengenezwa kwa kushirikiana na Buglife.