David Element's Wildlife Web Page Hymenoptera 10

David Element

Wildlife Photography

and Digital Video Images

____________ Hymenoptera 10 - Flower Bees

HAIRY-FOOTED FLOWER BEE Anthophora plumipes (m)

HAIRY-FOOTED FLOWER BEE Anthophora plumipes (f)

This sexually dimorphic and very active bee frequents spring-flowering labiates like Red Deadnettle Lamium purpureum, White Deadnettle L. album and Yellow Archangel L. galeobdolon. Other flowers are also visited including Cowslip Primula veris. The diagnostic long hairs referred to in the vernacular and specific names are very evident on the middle leg of the male in the fourth photograph. One or more males will hover in attendance whilst a female is feeding and a nuptial flight may then ensue prior to eventual mating. The much shorter orange hairs on the hind legs of the otherwise entirely black female are a very distinctive field characteristic although the colour of the pollen basket will alter according to the species of flower being visited. The male bee in the second photograph was seen emerging from a burrow excavated into a soft red brick wall. These (manually focussed) digital photographs were taken with a new Nikon D300 and the results are far superior to those obtained previously using transparency film.