A POCKET GUIDE TO

THE BEES OF WALSALL

MORGAN BOWERS

First Edition, 2013

THIS BOOK IS PRODUCED BY

THE BLACK COUNTRY &

STAFFORDSHIRE NATURALISTS

Morgan Bowers 2013

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GROUP, AND

GETTING INVOLVED WITH SURVEYS (BEES, BATS,

NEWTS, PLANTS AND MORE), GO TO

HTTP://BCSNATS.WORDPRESS.COM OR FIND US ON

FACEBOOK

ALL IMAGES M BOWERS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I couldnt possibly make a list of

all the people in my life who

have encouraged my interest in

natural history, inspired me to

have the confidence to continue

to learn, and generally put up

with me being a pretty weird

friend, spouse, daughter, sister,

employee, student, etc But

heres a start:

Firstly to my Dad, Pete. For being

the kind of dad that thinks its

fine if your daughter runs

around barefoot catching

crickets and climbing trees.

Thank you for never pushing me

into a mould.

To my mom, Linda for your utter

and complete acceptance of me.

To Mike Bloxham, for that first

push into entomology.

To Alex Lockton and Sarah

Whild, for making me, over the

course of eight years, into a half-

decent ecologist.

To Pete Boardman for generally

being pretty damn great, for

having faith in me when I didnt,

and for many beers sitting by

Darwin pond over the years.

To Ian Cheeseborough and Andy

Jukes for being my Bee-Yodas.

To my wonderful friends on the

invertebrate challenge Aculeates

course - and especially to my

dear friend Bex, for hours spent

hanging out in fields with me

squinting at bug pots.

To my colleagues from

Countryside Services: Colin, Eric,

Jeff, Nige, Tim, Martin and Helen

and to my boss Kevin for

tolerating my eccentricities.

To Dan Slee, Helen Burrows,

Tina Faulkner and the rest of the

web and marketing teams at

Walsall Council.

To the members of the Black

Country & Staffordshire

Naturalists, evil geniuses all!

Most of all to my husband Paul,

for putting up with all kinds of

entomological debris in the

living room, tirelessly

accompanying me to endless

sites looking for bees, not

minding that the car is full of

emergency bug pots and for not

thinking its weird that I wanted

a bumblebee nest box for

valentines day. I have no words.

PROLOGUE: THE

PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR

My intention with this book is

not to turn you into an expert, or

even, really, to get you into bees

or even improve your

identification skills. Im not on a

crusade to get more people into

entomology (okay, I am, but

thats not the aim)

What Im trying to do is to show

you where to go and what to

look for if you fancy having a go

at being a bee person, even for a

day. I want to show you that

there are many, many more

types of bees than you probably

thought, and CERTAINLY more

wasps than you thought there

were. And you can find them, if

you look, all over Walsalls

nature reserves.

Gaining a love of bees can often

be difficult for some, because

there are often a lot of

psychological hurdles to leap,

because unfortunately, from the

time you were a child, you were

probably taught to give bees a

wide berth, if not taught to fear

them outright.

I think that the thing most

people fear about bees is

probably the simple fear of being

stung. The truth is that, after

years of catching, examining and

enjoying bees, I have only once

been stung by a bee (I was

standing next to a honey bee

hive when a wasp attacked a bee

near the hive entrance

naturally the bees went into

defence mode, and I was stung

on the arm!). Wrong place,

wrong time.

The problem with fearing

something is that we tend to

avoid it at all costs we dont

learn about the thing we fear, we

often dont even think about it

because the psychology of fear is

very powerful and even the

thought of something feared (for

me it is spiders!) can bring on

sweaty palms, heart palpitations,

or even a full-blown panic attack.

A good friend of mine took me to

an arachnophobia workshop at

Dudley Zoo a few years ago, and

I still claim that is the best 20

Ive ever spent. There was no

hypnotherapy or hocus pocus

just a very knowledgeable man

passing on his enthusiasm and

doing his best to put right some

of what I now realise was

RIDICULOUS mis-information in

my head about spiders (i.e.

theyre NOT out to get me, they

WONT jump off the wall and

land on my face, and most

importantly, if I hoover one up it

WONT make a nest of a

thousand spider eggs inside the

hoover bag!) This is mostly

because they are secretive, quiet

and fragile creatures that would

be dead before they reached the

end of the hose!) I left with a

new mantra to say every time I

see a spider: Its not remotely

interested in me whatsoever!

Now, Im not going to tell you

that bees wont sting you,

because, if threatened, they most

certainly will (at least the

females will male bees dont

sting!).

But I can honestly tell you that

you can enjoy many bees (like

mining bees and bumble bees)

without them even giving you a

second thought. Theyre NOT

out to get you they arent

remotely interested in you

whatsoever!

So take a deep breath, say

the mantra, and take the

plunge into the fuzzy,

cuddly, colourful,

bumbling, sunny world of

the bee

FOREWORD

Thank you for your interest in

the Bees of Walsall. I have high

hopes for the study, and aim to

update this book as new records

and information are gathered.

CHOOSING THE SITES

This book takes a look at 9 sites

currently managed by Walsall

Countryside Services. It does not

cover the 20+ remaining

Countryside Sites or any of the

numerous parks, greens,

community gardens, commons,

allotments, canal towpaths,

roadside verges, town centre

planting areas or the thousands

of urban and suburban gardens

that are also important nesting

or foraging sites for Walsalls

bees and wasps.

I had to narrow it down

somewhat, and so for this first

Edition of The Bees of Walsall, I

have selected sites which have

either significant species lists

due to being the subject of past

surveys, or because of their

unusual landscape, habitats or

species.

So what you will find is a small

selection of quarries, woodlands,

heathlands, wetlands, and

grasslands. From post-industrial

sites to Ancient Semi-Natural

Woodlands, Walsall has a bit of

everything, with many sites

comprising a mosaic of

interesting habitats.

Several of the sites (Mill Lane,

Pelsall North Common,

Brownhills Common, Beacon

Quarry and Shire Oak Park) have

all been the subject of targeted

invertebrate surveys in the past.

The work to gain a thorough

picture of what species inhabit

our countryside sites is on-going,

and I hope to continually update

this book with up to date

information, and continue to add

sites and species as our database

of ecological records increases.

THE HABITAT TYPES

When I initially set out to write

this, I had hoped to categorise

the study into the bees of

Walsalls heathlands, quarries,

meadows, etc. However, many of

the sites that Ive included in this

book have within them more

than one type of habitat.

(Shire Oak Park, for example, is a

former quarry with pools,

woodland, areas of heathland

and patches of meadow.) How

could I classify sites into broad

categories when their industrial

past has created such a mosaic of

habitats?

As a result, I have opted to

simply look at each site in turn,

and to point out the key species

you may find on site, where to

look for them, and how to

recognise them. In order to help

you to know what to expect, or

even to plan your bee-watching

according to habitat, I have

colour-coded each habitat type,

and these codes are underneath

the site name on each site page,

signifying the three dominant

habitat types found on site.

You could even use these to look

for specific species (For example,

if you are looking for the

Tormentil Mining Bee, Andrena

tarsata, you will need to look for

the purple icon, as it is a

heathland species.)

The coloured icons are to the

right. Yellow denotes sites where

grasslands or meadows can be

found, green signifies woodland

sites, purple for heathland, pink

for farmland, blue for wetlands

and water courses and orange

for sites with geological

exposures / former quarry sites:

GRASSLANDS

WOODLANDS

HEATHLANDS

FARMLAND

WETLANDS

QUARRIES

CHOOSING THE SPECIES

This book is by no means an

exhaustive atlas of bees for

Walsall, rather it is a snapshot of

our most exiting species and

most valuable habitats and sites.

For this first edition, I have

endeavoured to select species

which you could conceivably be

able to identify yourself, with a

bit of practice, in the field, even if

you have not done any

entomological work before.

Im also not a huge fan of jargon,

and I know how much it can

intimidate and put people off

learning a new group of plants or

animals. The entomological

community need to be actively

encouraging new recorders, not

perpetuating the gap between

wildlife enthusiasts and proper

entomologists. After all, every

expert at one time was a

beginner, and there was a day

when they learned to identify

their first species, so why cant

you do the same?

Because of this, I have tried to

select species which have

common names, so you will not

be drowning in Latin (at least

not for the time being!).

Later editions will include more

species, quick ID guides and

even more!

You may also notice that I have

sneaked a few wasps in under

the radar, and until they have

their own book, here they will

stay.

Morgan Bowers, 2013

PART 1: RECORDING

BEES IN WALSALL

GEOLOGY & INDUSTRY

Walsall, like the rest of the Black

Country, has a past steeped in

industry, and the scars of mining,

quarrying, smelting and

transporting gravel, sand,

limestone, coal and iron still lie

just beneath the surface.

The underlying geology that

made this area so desirable for

industry rich coal seams, fine

sand and gravel, are still the

underpinning characteristic of

our landscape today. They

directly affect the plants that

grow in each area of the borough

with calcareous woodlands

and grasslands flourishing on

sites like Park Lime Pits (aptly

named!) and Hayhead Wood and

Pasture, and in contrast fine

acidic grasslands around Barr

Beacon, and historic bluebell

woodlands like Merrions Wood

and Rough Wood. In turn this

affects the species of insects

which collect nectar and pollen

from the plants and flowers that

thrive on site. Some species of

bees seek out yellow composites

(like dandelions) that grow in

acidic grassland, while others

seek out the nectar sources in

lime-rich meadows.

While the geology provides the

environment for food sources for

bees and other insects, the

actions of humans, in their effort

to harvest minerals, have

provided excellent opportunities

for nesting.

Just one look at the quarry faces

of Shire Oak Park or Beacon

Quarry and you can immediately

see signs of occupancy by

solitary bees.

ENTOMOLOGY IN WALSALL

The earliest record of a bee held

by EcoRecord (our local

Biological Records Centre) is

from 1984. This is somewhat

surprising, as our area is home

to the Great Barr Estate, with

naturalists including William

Withering and Erasmus Darwin

along with the rest of the famous

Lunar Society. For an area with

a rich scientific heritage, it is

shocking to think that no

biological records survived from

before Ghostbusters came out at

the cinema!

But I think that we take for

granted that urban wildlife is

given its kudos these days.

Today, thanks to the tireless

work of the supporters of urban

biodiversity, and the champions

of post-industrial brownfield

sites, we value our urban

wildlife, when in the past the

countryside was seemingly

much further from the town.

Birmingham & the Black Country

does not have and Invertebrates

Group (although our neighbours

in Staffordshire, Warwickshire

and Shropshire all have active

groups). The problem with

groups that have geographical

constraints is that they dont

tend to cross borders. Because

of this, most of the work that has

been undertaken in the Borough

has been as survey work

commissioned through funded

projects or as ad-hoc records

from individual naturalists.

DISTRIBUTION MAPS

As you look through this book,

on the species pages you will see

a small map, which marks each

tetrad (2km square) in which

each species has been recorded

to date.

Its important to acknowledge

the fact that these maps (as is

the case with any maps in any

atlas of species) are never a

representation of the

distribution of a species. Rather,

it is a representation of the

distribution of RECORDS of that

species.

This means that there is always a

margin of error between the

map and the real distribution,

and the extent of this margin of

error is a direct reflection of the

amount of survey work /

biological recording that takes

place in an area.

A total of 21 people (at the time

of writing) have submitted

biological records of bees and

wasps in Walsall (since records

began). Of those, only 7 have

submitted more than 5 records,

and only 4 have submitted more

than 10 records.

This means that although the

quantity of records is decent,

there are currently only 4 people

actively recording bees in the

Walsall area.

Having said that, recording is

clearly on the increase. The

table below, by decade, shows

the number of records

submitted:

Decade Records

1980s 10

1990s 79

2000s 462

2010s (so far) 191

PAST SURVEYS

Generally speaking, the vast

majority of records of Aculeate

Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps and

Ants) have been generated

through official surveys, by a

small number of people.

The main surveys that have been

undertaken are:

Bloxham, M. and Slawson, C.

(1999-2000) Pelsall North

Common Terrestrial

Invertebrates Survey

Bloxham, M. and Shirley, P.

(1999-2001) Brownhills

Common Survey

Bowers, M. (2011) Aculeates

of Pelsall North Common

(MSc Dissertation)

Bowers, M., Cartwright, A. and

Cheeseborough, I. (2012)

BioBlitz: The Grange

Jukes, A. and Henshall, S.

(2003) Pinfold Lane Quarry

Survey

Jukes, A. and Slawson, C.

(2003-2004) Shire Oak Park

Invertebrates Survey

Jukes, A. (2006) Walsall

Power Station Survey

THE WALSALL ACULEATES

SURVEY PROJECT (WASP)

The WASP project is an ongoing

study aiming to fill in the gaps in

our knowledge of Walsalls

Aculeate Hymenoptera (Bees,

Wasps and Ants).

The project begins in 2013 with

the Passive Monitoring of Social

Wasps at Rough Wood &

Merrions Wood, as well as

surveys of the aculeates of some

of Walsalls most under-

recorded sites.

Surveys for 2013 will include

Bentley Haye, Wood Farm and

Oily Goughs in Rough Wood

Chase LNR, Fibbersley LNR in

Willenhall and Moorcroft Wood

in Darlaston.

We will also be undertaking a

study of the foraging ranges of

the Tormentil Mining Bee

(Andrena tarsata) on Pelsall

North Common.

If you are interested in getting

involved with surveys, please

contact the Black Country and

Staffordshire Naturalists via

http://bcsnats.wordpress.com.

PART 2: ABOUT BEES

BEE-ING ANTISOCIAL?

Youll hear me refer to social

bees and wasps and solitary

ones too. By social I mean bees

and wasps that live in a hive or

colony, with solitary bees

making their own nest. Solitary

bees have no queens or workers,

just males and females.

However, as is often the case

with nature, there are some

quirky exceptions to the rule.

Many solitary bees are solitary,

yet gregarious, in that their

nesting habits are social, but

they may make individual nests

in compact aggregations or in

some cases males will come

together in lekking displays.

So solitary doesnt necessarily

mean anti-social, if you know

what I mean.

THE NESTING INSTINCT

By and large, Bees can be

categorised broadly by their

nesting preferences: Ground

Nesters, Aerial Nesters, Dead

Wood Nesters and Stem Nesters.

The Tawny Mining Bee (pictured

above) is a common ground-

nesting species. Many of the

Andrena bees and similar

Mining Bees nest in ground that

is anywhere from flat to nearly

vertical. Some prefer different

aspects (South-east, East, etc)

and their tastes also vary

according to how soft the

substrate is. Many bees like a

nice firmly-packed sandy path,

while others like looser soil, or

even sand dunes. They are all

quite picky young ladies to be

honest!

Bumble bees tend to be ground

nesters, but rather than

excavating a burrow like a

mining bee, the queen emerges

early in the spring and searches

out an old mouse hole or other

cavity in the ground in which to

establish her nest. This is why

you can buy bumblebee nest

boxes and they will readily set

up their colony inside it.

AERIAL NESTERS

Bees that nest in more vertical

slopes, quarry faces, banks and

even in the mini-quarry face

provided by a set of steps, are

referred to as aerial nesters. The

Red Mason Bee (pictured below

peering out from a hole in a

church wall!) are well-known

aerial nesters. You may have

seen them in the gaps between

your house bricks in the spring!

STEM NESTERS

Some solitary species actually

nest inside the stems, leaves,

fruits or seeds of plants! They

are not as commonly found as

their excavating counterparts, as

many of them are tiny, but you

may have seen Oak Galls (like

round wooden balls) on oak

trees, where an oak gall wasp

has laid its egg!

DEAD WOOD NESTERS

Still more species (usually very

tiny solitary wasps) will nest

inside the holes left behind when

wood-boring beetles have left

the dead trees where they

hatched.

Keep an eye on dead wood when

you are out and about and you

are sure to come across dead

wood that is littered with tiny

holes!

LEAF CUTTERS

Leaf cutter bees (Megachile) are

fantastic little creatures that

collect parts of leaves with which

to build a series of individual

little cells in which to lay their

egg and provision with pollen

before sealing the cell up with

more leaves and then creating

another. They create these cells

sequentially inside hollows or

tubes (you can make/buy nest

boxes full of tubes to attract

them)!

The cells even hatch in the

opposite order in which they

were laid so that no bees are

trapped behind any other!

CUCKOOS

The cuckoo (the bird) lays its

eggs in the nest of other birds.

The egg then hatches and the

hatchling bird kicks the eggs of

the host out of the nest!

It is for exactly this behaviour

that cuckoo bees are named. The

hard working host bee excavates

a nest and lovingly provisions it

with a store of pollen for her

offspring, and lays an egg inside,

before beginning a new nest and

doing the same again. In the

mean time, Mrs Cuckoo Bee

waits until the host bee is away

from the nest and then goes

inside and lays an egg of her

own. The cuckoos egg then

hatches, and often the first stage

of larva has HUGE mandibles

with which to dispatch the poor

egg or larva of the host. It then

proceeds to eat the pollen store.

This type of approach to

reproduction is referred to as

Cleptoparasitism. (Clepto =

thief)

There are a number of genera of

bees that use this approach, and

for many of them, the

relationship is exclusive the

species of Nomada for example

only preys on the nests of one

(sometimes a few closely

related) species of Andrena bees.

It is a very effective method of

reproduction, requiring none of

the leg work of gathering

pollen.

A BAD ATTITUDE

Youre probably thinking But

wont they sting me if I go about

fiddling with bees?

In fact, many people are afraid to

get close to bees at all. The truth

is that most bees are not

aggressive at all, and there is a

reason for that

Honey bees can be very

defensive of their hive, and that

is because they are protecting a

very precious and hard-earned

resource all that honey! The

honey is there to feed young

larvae and to help the colony

through winter months. (When

beekeepers harvest honey from

hives, they have to replace it

with sugar water to make sure

that their bees have enough to

get them through hard times.

Because they have such a

resource, they are keen to

protect it! Generally speaking,

even honey bees, when

encountered on their own, really

couldnt care less about you.

Bumble bees, in spite of living in

a hive, dont have honey to

protect, and as such are not as

protective or defensive. If you

catch a bumble bee in a net and

put it in a pot to look at closely,

when you open the pot to let it

go, the bees first instinct is to

GET AWAY.

(Depending on the time of year

sometimes the bees first instinct

is to get its face into the nearest

flower, so sometimes youll

release a bee and it will go right

back to the flower as if you never

came along!)

Solitary bees are even LESS

aggressive, and unless you put

them through some discomfort,

they can usually be handled with

safety.

In addition, only female bees can

sting, as a sting is a modified

ovipositor (egg laying part), so

as the boys never had the egg

laying equipment in the first

place, they never developed the

ability to sting!

A WORD ABOUT WASPS

Theres no escaping the fact that

social wasps, however ARE

aggressive, and increasingly so

in the end of the summer. They

are carb-crazed lunatics, with

nothing but sugar on the mind (a

bit like me at Christmas), and

they can also become

disorientated and increasingly

aggressive.

I used to be terrified of them, at

one point on a picnic on my

honeymoon throwing my

sandwich across a field because I

was just so SICK of the wasps

trying to eat it!

But the problem with being a

bee person is that you will,

inevitably, run across the

occasional wasp.

I managed to get rid of 90% of

my fear by taking the decision to

become extremely INTERESTED

in them so instead of chucking

sandwiches away, my first

thought now is WHAT SPECIES

IS IT?

PART 3: SPECIES

COMMON BUMBLE BEES

Unlike many of the bees in

this book, Bumble Bees are

social, in that there are

numerous individuals living

in the same nest.

Just like honey bees, Bumble

Bees have a queen, numerous

workers, and males. The

queens tend to be very large

versions of workers, and the

males tend to look similar but

with yellow markings on the

face and/or shoulders (this is

a general rule and there are

of course, exceptions, but by

and large, if you find a bee

with a yellow face, it is a

male!)

In the case of Bumble Bees,

however, you will mostly see

females (either queens or

workers).

Red Tailed Bumble Bee

(Bombus lapidarius)

One of the easier species to spot,

workers can vary lots in size.

Identification:

Black all over with an orange-red

tail. Males are the same, but with

yellow shoulders and face.

Distribution:

This species is found throughout

the borough any park or nature

reserve, particularly places with

thistles! Parts of the Grange,

Park Lime Pits or the Arboretum

are great places to see this bee.

Buff Tailed Bumble Bee

(Bombus terrestris)

This is often the first bumble bee

seen each year. Queens can often

be seen searching for nesting

sites as early as February.

Identification:

One dark yellow band on the

thorax and one on the abdomen;

tail is dirty white rusty.

Distribution:

This species is fairly ubiquitous

across the borough any park or

nature reserve is a good place to

start!

White Tailed Bumble Bee

(Bombus lucorum)

Occasionally confused with the

Buff-Tailed, which can be very

similar.

Identification:

One custard- yellow band on the

thorax and one on the abdomen;

tail is bright white. Think Luke

Warm Custard Luc-orum

Distribution:

This species is also found

frequently and is widely

distributed a common garden

species!

Garden Bumble Bee

(Bombus hortorum)

A satisfying bee to identify, and

easy to remember.

Identification:

Look for the white tail, yellow

shoulders & Saddle and long

face like a horse. And where do

you keep a horse? In the garden!

Distribution:

This species is found throughout

the borough any park or nature

reserve, particularly places with

thistles! Merrions Wood, Barr

Beacon.

Tree Bumble Bee

(Bombus hypnorum)

A new species to the UK in 2001,

and first recorded in Walsall in

2011, another easy bee.

Identification:

I think of this bee as Neopolitan

ice cream Strawberry thorax,

Chocolate body and Vanilla tail

(red, black & white)!

Distribution:

Often found feeding from

bramble flowers. Park Lime Pits,

Fibbersley or along any of the

canals in the borough.

Common Carder Bee

(Bombus pascuorum)

Doesnt look like any of our

other common garden bees, as it

is pretty much one colour.

Identification:

Imagine this bee as wearing a

fuzzy orange CARDigan the

Carder Bee!

Distribution:

Start with your back garden for

this one Often seen at Pelsall

North Common, the canal

through Rough Wood Chase, and

on Barr Beacon.

Early Bumble Bee

(Bombus pratorum)

This is a slightly smaller bee

compared to other common

bumble bees, and can be tricky

to identify!

Identification:

This small bee has the custard

yellow of the white-tail, but its

tail is orange instead!

Distribution:

Often found feeding from

bramble flowers. Park Lime Pits,

Fibbersley or along any of the

canals in the borough.

COMMON CUCKOO BEES

Its not always an easy life

being a bumble bee, as many

of the species frequently fall

victim to parasitic species,

referred to as cuckoo bees.

The cuckoos until recently

were considered to be in a

separate genus, Psythrius so

in some older field guides you

might see Bombus rupestris,

for example, called Psythrius

rupestris, so dont let that

confuse you the ID notes

will all be the same.

With a lifestyle in which the

queen cuckoo bees overtake

the hive of true bumble bees,

there is no need for workers,

as they benefit from the

labours of the hosts workers.

Because of this, there are

only queens and males in

cuckoos.

They tend to look similar to

their host species, but with

much darker wings.

Red-Tailed Cuckoo Bee

(Bombus rupestris)

A brilliantly easy Cuckoo Bee

looks almost exactly like its host!

Identification:

Like its host, the Red-Tailed, this

bee is dark all over with a red-

orange tail, but is very large with

very dark wings!

Distribution:

This species is probably under-

recorded, but has so far been

found at Merrions Wood, Pelsall

North Common and also on Barr

Beacon.

Vestal Cuckoo Bee

(Bombus vestalis)

Another bee that is likely to be

under-recorded, or mistaken for

species such as the White-Tailed

Bumble Bee.

Identification:

Orange shoulder stripe, bright

white tail, and yellow flashes on

either side of the tail margin.

Distribution:

Look for this bee at the Grange,

Brownhills Common, Park Lime

Pits, Beacon Quarry and Mill

Lane.

Four-Coloured Cuckoo Bee

(Bombus sylvestris)

A misleading name when looking

at females, but

Identification:

Males only are four colours:

yellow stripes on a black body

with a white tail with an orange

tip females lack the orange tip!

Distribution:

This species is found

sporadically the best place to

look for it is on the northern

commons, particularly Pelsall

North Common.

Gypsy Cuckoo Bee

(Bombus bohemicus)

(c) Bug Botherer

A satisfying bee to identify, and

easy to remember.

Identification:

Like the Vestal Cuckoo Bee, this

one has yellow flashes either

side of the tail, but they are less

distinct in the Gypsy Cuckoo Bee.

Distribution:

This species is another that has

only been found at Shire Oak

Park, but it is likely to be present

on the northern commons.

Field Cuckoo Bee

(Bombus campestris)

A highly variable cuckoo bee

found in a wide variety of

habitats.

Identification:

Like other cuckoos, VERY dark

wings, usually with yellow

stripes on thorax and yellowish

tail, but can even be all black!

Distribution:

This species is found

occasionally. The best places to

look for it are Beacon Quarry

and Shire Oak Park.

RARER BUMBLE BEES

These are a few of the rarer

Bumble Bees and Cuckoo

Bees that frequent Walsall.

These arent likely to pop up

in your garden (but you

never know!). If youre on a

quest to seek out the rarer

bees of the borough, you

could do worse than starting

at Shire Oak Park.

It is unclear at the time of

writing whether these bees

are genuinely scarce in the

borough or simply under-

recorded. We hope to find out

over the next few seasons!

Heath Bumble Bee

(Bombus jonellus)

A small bee strongly associated

with heathlands, but can be

found in a variety of habitats.

Identification:

A small bee with white tail and

yellow bands, similar to Garden

Bumblebee but with a short face.

Distribution:

Best to keep an eye out on the

northern commons for this one,

in particular at Shire Oak Park

and Brownhills Common where

it has been recorded.

Mountain Bumble Bee

(Bombus monticola)

(c) Bex Cartwright

Another bee that, while rarer, it

is easy to identify. It is a bit more

picky about habitat, though,

liking higher altitudes.

Identification:

A red tail that extends up over

MOST of the abdomen, and

yellow stripe on the thorax.

Distribution:

This species has so far only been

found at Shire Oak Park, but it

may be on other sites!

Broken-Belted Bumble Bee

(Bombus soroeensis)

(c) James Lindsey via Wikimedia Commons

A bee thats tricky to identify!

Identification:

Similar to the White Tailed

Bumble Bee, but the band on its

abdomen is not completely

yellow, but is broken by a patch

of black hairs a tricky one!

Distribution:

Only one record so far in Walsall

(at Shire Oak Park) but may be

under-recorded due to its

similarity to the White Tailed.

Common Mining Bees

One of the largest groups of

mining bees is the Andrena,

with 60+ species. Rather

annoyingly, they are sexually

dimorphic (the males and

females look different to one

another), so its a large group

to get your head around with

120 different looking types of

bee!

However, there are some

species in the group which

can be identified readily in

the field, with just a bit of

practice. Ive included 9 of

the commoner, more easily

identified species here. The

key features are the

colouring of the hairs on the

head, thorax and abdomen,

as well as the colour of the

hind legs (and the hairs on

the hind legs!).

If you can get your head

around basic anatomy, you

should be able to do these

bees confidently soon.

Clarks Mining Bee

(Andrena clarkella)

Usually one of the first bees seen

each year out by March!

Identification:

Like several similar bees, a red

face and abdomen with a ginger

thorax, but this one has orange

hind legs!

Distribution:

Widespread, with the species

showing up wherever surveys

take place, so probably still

under-recorded. Park Lime Pits,

Fibbersley, Shire Oak Park.

Ashy Grey Mining Bee

(Andrena cineraria)

A fantastic bee that can be easily

identified and often found!

Identification:

Both males and females of this

species are black with greyish-

white bands. In flight look

completely grey.

Distribution:

Found on Brownhills Common,

Pelsall North Common, Mill Lane

and the Grange so far, but

probably much more widely

spread.

Tawny Mining Bee

(Andrena fulva)

A stunning little bee that is a

doddle to identify and can be

found readily on most sites!

Identification:

A foxy lady, the Tawny Mining

Bee has a luxurious coat of

orange-red hairs on BOTH

thorax and abdomen, with black

underside!

Distribution:

Cuckoos Nook, Mill Lane,

Beacon Quarry, the Northern

Commons.

Gwynnes Mining Bee

(Andrena bicolor)

Another red and black spring

bee easily confused with

Clarks Mining bee.

Identification:

Bed thorax, black abdomen, red

leg HAIRS but the legs

underneath are black! A very

small bee.

Distribution:

Likely to be under-recorded, this

species has so far been seen at

the northern Commons, Park

Lime Pits and Mill Lane.

Early Mining Bee

(Andrena haemorrhoa)

You might need a hand-lens for

this one, but with practice you

can identify it with the naked

eye!

Identification:

Red thorax, black abdomen,

reddish leg hairs but the key

feature is the brush of ginger

hairs on the very tip of the

abdomen.

Distribution:

Cuckoos Nook, Park Lime Pits,

Beacon Quarry, Widespread!

Hawthorn Bee

(Andrena carantonica)

An interesting bee that although

solitary, shares a burrow

entrance with other bees, but

nests separately underground!

Identification:

One of the largest of the mining

bees, and very hair, almost

looking like a slender bumble

bee!

Distribution:

The best places to see this bee in

Walsall are The Grange and Mill

Lane.

Tormentil Mining Bee

(Andrena tarsata)

One of the UKs smallest mining

bees, and an oligolectic species

(feeding from one group of

flowers only)!

Identification:

Tiny, female has yellow hind

legs, male has a yellow face, and

both have a slightly ridged

appearance to the abdomen!

Distribution:

Youll only find this species

where Tormentil grows, so far

only on Pelsall North Common.

Andrena humilis

(Andrena humilis)

A nationally notable species,

recent records indicate that it

might have a bit of a stronghold

in Walsall.

Identification:

Tiny with a brush of golden hairs

on the tip of the abdomen.

Distribution:

Look for it on yellow composites

(dandelions, etc.) at Barr Beacon,

Brownhills Common, Pelsall

North Common, Shire Oak Park

and Mill Lane.

Andrena nigroaenea

(Andrena nigroaenea)

(c) Bex Cartwright

A large bee often confused with

the Hawthorn Bee!

Identification:

Large and hairy as with

Hawthorn bee, but with red

(rather than pale) hairs on legs

and thorax.

Distribution:

This species prefers sandy areas

like Pelsall North Common and

Shire Oak Park, but has also been

found near Park Lime Pits.

Solitary Cuckoo Bees

The bees of the genus

Nomada are the group that

most often prey on the nests

of Andrena bees. These bees

are the cleptoparasites,

laying an egg in the nest of

their host to steal the hard-

earned pollen stores of the

Andrena.

Its sort of a sneaky way of

getting on in life, but you

have to admit that it makes

evolutionary sense an

efficient way to provide for

your offspring. The

relationships between

parasite and host are often

species-specific, with a

Nomada species only

predating on the nests of one

or a select few species of

Andrena. This means that if

you record Nomada flava, for

example, you know that

Andrena carantonica must be

nearby!

Two bees for the price of one!

Goodens Nomad Bee

(Nomada goodeniana)

A cleptoparasite of several

Andrena species.

Identification:

Small, with black striped

abdomen with no red patches.

Two yellow patches on the

thorax, behind the head.

Distribution:

So far found at Brownhills

Common, Pelsall North Common,

Shire Oak Park and Mill Lane,

but could be found anywhere its

host species are found.

Ginger Nomad Bee

(Nomada lathburiana)

Not its real common name, as it

doesnt have one, but it is one of

the easiest to identify so Ive

included it

Identification:

This tri-coloured species has a

dense coat of gingery hairs on its

head and thorax!

Distribution:

This bee has only been recorded

at Shire Oak Park and Fibbersley

but could be under-recorded, so

one to look out for!

Red-Horned Nomad Bee

(Nomada ruficornis)

(c) Bug Botherer

A cuckoo bee that parasitises the

Early Mining Bee.

Identification:

Reddish stripes on a dark thorax,

and an abdomen with red and

yellow markings. It has a

mandible with two distinct teeth.

Distribution:

A northern species, recorded at

Brownhills and Pelsall North

Commons, but distribution of its

host is more widespread.

Other Solitary Bees

There are numerous genera

of solitary bees not yet

touched on in this book,

including Osmia (Masonry

Bees), Lasioglossum (a genus

of small mining bees),

Hylaeus (white faced bees),

Halictus (sweat bees),

Megachile (leafcutter bees),

Coelioxys (point-tailed bees)

and more.

For this first edition of the

Bees of Walsall, Ive included

a few of my favourites and

they are relatively easy to

spot!

Red Mason Bee

(Osmia bicornis)

A bee that does what it says on

the tin: bicornis means two

horns.

Identification:

Has the rounded abdomen like

other Osmia species, and is

generally red and black female

has two distinct facial horns.

Distribution:

Common wherever there is

sand/mud for excavating. Park

Lime Pits, Cuckoos Nook & the

Dingle, Aldridge Airport

Willoughbys Leafcutter

(Megachile willoughbiella)

A large bee, can be mistaken for

a bumble bee.

Identification:

Megachile bees can be difficult to

separate in the field, but they all

have the general characteristic of

carrying pollen on the underside

of their abdomen rather than

their legs.

Distribution:

Look in parks and gardens,

particularly on Thistles. The

Grange, Brownhills Common.

Hairy Footed Flower Bee

(Anthophora plumipes)

A very fast bee, often seen

bombing around spring flowers!

Identification:

Looks just like a small, black

bumble bee with orange hairs on

the hind legs. Males have cream-

coloured markings on their

faces.

Distribution:

The first record of this species

for Walsall was in 2012 at the

BioBlitz at The Grange highly

likely to be under-recorded.

SOCIAL WASPS

There are 9 species of social

wasp in the UK. With the

exception of the hornet, the

rest fall into two groups:

Vespula and Dolichovespula

(Vespies and Dollies!)

You can tell to which of these

two groups a wasp belongs

by looking at the space

between its eye and its jaws

if the gap is large (top left)

its a Dollie, if it is narrow

(top right), it is a Vespie!

If you fancy getting into a

relatively easy group, with

only a handful of species,

social wasps are a great

place to start!

Common Wasp

(Vespula vulgaris)

A common and well-known

species!

Identification:

A very common and

recognisable black and yellow

wasp. Small malar space,

straight shoulder stripes. This

species nests underground.

Distribution:

Theres probably one on your

kitchen window right now! Look

for it in woodlands. Merrions

Wood, Rough Wood, The Grange.

Red Wasp

(Vespula rufa)

An aptly named species!

Identification:

One of two species with red

patches on the abdomen! A

hand lens shows a NARROW

space between the eye and jaw

(the Norway Wasp has a WIDE

space).

Distribution:

This species is probably under-

recorded. Shire Oak Park and

Brownhills Common on Gorse

bushes.

Median Wasp

(Dolichovespula media)

A species easily confused with

hornets!

Identification:

This striking wasp has orange

patches, and a yellow tick

symbol on each shoulder

think of it as wearing Nike

shoulder pads!

Distribution:

Only found in two Walsall

woodlands so far: Rough Wood

and Merrions Wood, but likely

under-recorded.

PART 4: SITES

There are 250+ parks and

open spaces in Walsall, and

30+ Countryside Sites. The

sites I have included here all

fall into the latter group.

Many of the sites are now

Local Nature Reserves, and

almost all of them bear some

scars or signs of their

industrial past, from

quarrying limestone and

sandstone, ironworks and

foundries and their

associated buildings, former

railway sites and even a

former golf course, now

converted into a nature

reserve.

Walsall is an incredible

example of how a landscape

can thrive in spite of (and in

some cases because of) its

industrial past.

Insects (and bees in

particular), are a way in

which ecologists can gauge

the heath of an environment.

Brownhills Common

Species Count: 59

Site Description:

Brownhills common has been

designated a Site of Special

Scientific Interest for the value of

its heathland habitats. It is

managed, in part, for its resident

aculeate hymenoptera.

Star Species:

Coelioxys elongata (A Sharp-

Tailed Bee) can be found on

Brownhills Common it is the

only site where ANY Coelioxys

bees have been recorded. They

are conspicuous bees, with

abdomens which taper to a

point. They superficially

resemble Megachiles, their prey

species.

Pelsall North Common

Species Count: 58

Site Description:

A former iron works in Pelsall,

the common is largely heathland

and scrub, but with remnant

cottage gardens provides an

unusual mix of wild and escaped

garden plants. It is bordered on

the south by the Wyrley and

Essington canal. Its areas of wet

heath provide habitat for orchids

as well as other species endemic

to wet heaths.

Star Species:

Andrena tarsata (Tormentil

Mining Bee) can be found

foraging on Tormentil in areas of

wet heath from June August.

Shire Oak Park

Species Count: 46

Site Description:

A former sand quarry in North

Walsall, Shire Oak is one of the

only places in the borough with

loose sand as a habitat. The

mosaic of young birch woodland,

scrub, heather and exposed sand

quarry face provide nesting and

foraging opportunities for a wide

variety of bees and wasps.

Star Species:

Bombus Monticola and Bombus

sorooensis are found on this site,

and (so far) nowhere else in

Walsall. They are two of 10

Bumble Bee species that can be

found at Shire Oak Park

Park Lime Pits

Species Count: 10

Site Description:

Park Lime Pits is an area of

woodland surrounding a series

of pools, which are fed by a small

watercourse called Adams

Brook. The site is surrounded by

Lime Pits Farm, which is

managed for conservation, with

nectar mixes and wide arable

margins set aside for wildlife.

Star Species:

This site doesnt have the

impressive species list of other

sites, but it is the perfect place to

cut your entomological teeth,

because many of the species of

Bumble and Mining Bee in this

book are present on site.

Beacon Quarry

Species Count: 19

Site Description:

A former sand quarry (AKA

Pinfold Quarry / Pinfold Lane

Quarry)is close to Barr Beacon,

near the Walsall/Birmingham

border. This site has exposed

quarry face peppered with bee

nest holes, woodland and wide

open areas of scrub that are just

perfect for foraging bees!

Star Species:

Beacon quarry is great for

Bumble Bees, and is one of only a

few places where you can see the

Field Cuckoo bee. Its also a great

place to look for leafcutter bees

and solitary digger wasps in the

open areas.

Cuckoos Nook & the Dingle

Species Count: 24

Site Description:

A dynamic landscape, the

woodland landscape changes at

one end from acid-loving

woodland species over

carboniferous coal seams, to

Silurian limestone and the

calcareous plants that go along

with it. Surrounded on all sides

by agricultural land, there are

ample nesting and foraging

opportunities for bees and

wasps!

Star Species:

Cuckoos Nook & the Dingle is

fantastic for Ectemnius and

Crocosserus digger wasps, and

Chrysis Ruby-Tailed wasps.

The Grange

Species Count: 11

Site Description:

A former golf course, The Grange

is Walsalls newest nature

reserve, now being managed for

wildlife with meadows, tall

ruderal and native tree

plantations.

Star Species:

Megachile bees can readily be

seen foraging on thistles in the

summer, and keep an eye out on

the old golf bunkers, which are

perfect, sandy habitat for ground-

nesting mining bees. The first

biological records for the site

were in 2012, with 7 species of

bumble bee being recorded in a

single day!

Merrions Wood

Species Count: 11

Site Description:

Primarily a woodland site,

Merrions also has areas of

meadow and a series of ponds,

ditches and ephemeral pools.

Star Species:

This is THE site to start looking

at social wasps, as Median

Wasps, Common Wasps and at

least one other species (Either

Red or Norway Wasp) can be

found here, as well as some

pretty rare species of solitary

wasps like Stigmus pendulus. But

keep your eye out for

spectacular cuckoo bees like the

Red-tailed Cuckoo, as the

surrounding parks and gardens

draw in all kinds of species!

Mill Lane

Species Count: 62

Site Description:

Mill Lane lies on an old railway

line, and trains still pass nearby

to this day. The site lies at the

bottom of Goscote Valley, only a

10 minute walk from Walsall

town centre. The most urban of

our reserves is the surprising

jewel in Walsalls crown our

best site for all kinds of species

of bee and wasp.

Star Species:

Whatever youre looking for you

will find it here: Bumble Bees,

Mining Bees, Masonry Bees,

Social Wasps, Digger Wasps,

Potter Wasps and Leafcutter

Bees can all be found in the wet

grassland and surrounding old

railway embankments.

PART 5: HOW TO

STUDY BEES

WHERE TO START

So I know this can seem a bit

intimidating, and you are

probably wondering how on

earth you get started with bees.

With so many species, how will

you ever get to grips with them?

Id be lying if I said it was easy,

and Im certainly no expert

myself, but I can promise you

that if you put in the time (in the

field and/or at the microscope)

you will become confident in at

least one group in a single

season, and after 2 or 3 seasons

you will have naturally branched

out into other groups of bees.

EQUIPMENT

To begin, there are four bits of

equipment that you will need: A

net, some bug pots, a hand lens

and a field guide. So Ill talk a bit

about each:

Nets

Choosing a net need not be

difficult, but you have a few

things to consider: a) do you

need it to be collapsible? b) what

colour bag is best c) how long a

handle do you want/need and d)

where to get it from. You will no

doubt find your own preferences

as you progress, but here is my

advice:

Collapsible Nets can be an

advantage if you are not driving,

and you want to be able to carry

a net with you.

You may feel perfectly happy

carrying a butterfly net onto the

bus with you, or you may be a bit

self-conscious about it, so

consider how you are going to

get out to sites and how you are

going to carry your net.

I tend to use two nets: a

standard butterfly net that I

keep in the car, and a

lightweight, crushable net that I

keep in my bag at all times. A

crushable net is usually 30cm in

diameter and 50cm deep, but

folds up into something NEARLY

pocket-sized. They tend to have

very short handles, so your net

will not be at the end of a pole.

There are advantages in this, in

that you are likely to be more

coordinated with a short -

handled net, but you will not

have the reach you would have

with a long-handled net. Most

crushable nets have a hollow

handle into which you can push

an extension.

Whether or not you opt for the

portable, crushable-type net, Id

highly recommend starting by

just buying a standard butterfly

net with a white bag. This will

cost about 25 and will have

about a 40cm diameter net,

about 70cm deep.

White bags are generally

accepted as being best for bee-

hunting, as the bees show up

better against the white mesh

and are easier to locate and pot

up.

Bug Pots

There are more types of bug pots

out there than youve had hot

dinners, and over time, you may

find that you fall in love with one

particular type.

In general, you want something

that you can see through really

well, though, so plastic pots are

not always the best as they scuff

up and become cloudy over time.

The other consideration is the

size you can use a jam jar if you

feel so inclined, but there are

times when you want the bee to

keep still (which can be done by

pushing a bit of tissue gently into

the pot to move the bee towards

the closed end, gently restricting

its movements while you get a

good look at those identifying

features!

I opt for glass pots that are

25mm diameter and either

50mm or 100mm deep.

The disadvantage of glass is that

they break, and so you may get

through quite a few in a season,

but for me, the benefits greatly

outweigh the drawbacks.

A set of 12 glass pots will knock

you back about 4-5, and should

be enough to keep you going in

your first summer.

Hand Lenses

Investing in an expensive hand

lens is one of those things that

you will probably do in future

years (you can splurge on

achromatic, double-ended hand

lenses that cost upwards of 50).

However the Singlet Loupe

10x21 is a metal lens that only

costs a tenner and is certainly

good enough for studying bees.

Field Guides

I should start out by saying that

there arent any books that cover

both Bumble Bees and Solitary

Bees. Generally you will want a

Bumble Bee field guide to get

you started, and youll naturally

follow this up with internet

content and keys to solitary

bees.

The book Bumble Bees by

Oliver Prys-Jones is a great book

for bumble bees, although there

are some smaller, less complex

texts out there too.

Try the Field Guide to the

Bumblebees of Great Britain and

Ireland by Martin Edwards,

which has a fantastic chart for

narrowing your bee down to a

few species in seconds.

Alternatively, you could opt for

the fantastic A Pocket Guide to

the Bumblebees of Britain and

Ireland by Bryan Pinchen if

youre after a truly pocket-sized

guide.

Theres lots of other equipment

you can add to your arsenal, but

in general, youre looking at 25

for a net, 10 for a lens, 5 for

pots and 10 for a field guide:

A whole new hobby for 50!

MICROSCOPY

Theres a whole other level of

studying bees that may or may

not be for you. Microscopy can

enable you to identify many

species which you cannot

identify in the field.

However, in order to be able to

identify species under the

microscope, you need three

things: A microscope, a key to

the group of bees you are

looking at, and a specimen to

look at.

It is entirely possible to teach

yourself microscopy by visiting

and viewing museum collections.

However, work on existing

specimens does not generate any

biological records, or provide

any information about the

assemblage of species on sites,

which could directly feed into

management decisions and aid

conservation.

Unfortunately, in order to

identify and record many

species, you would need to take

specimens, and that means

killing individuals in order to

record the species.

You can certainly still enjoy

identifying and recording bees

without taking specimens, but

there are some cases in which it

can be directly beneficial to the

species as a whole by

successfully identifying an

individual. Let me give you an

example:

The photo below is Stigmus

pendulus, a solitary wasp which I

collected from Merrions Wood.

The problem is that though

Stigmus pendulus is a rare

species, it is almost completely

indistinguishable from Stigmus

solskyi, a nearly identical, yet

common species. The wasp itself

is so small that its identifying

features which distinguish it are

invisible without the aid of a

microscope. A tiny patch near

the base of the wing is shiny in S.

pendulus and rough/matte in S.

solskyi.

If I hadnt taken the specimen,

and identified it under the

microscope, we simply wouldnt

know that this fantastic, rare

creature lives in our woodland.

We can now take the species

needs into account when writing

and implementing the woodland

management plan for the site.

Having said that, microscopy can

be pretty gruelling, so Id borrow

a microscope to see if you get on

with it before buying one, as

they can be pricey (Im including

details of the company I use).

Another thing which can be

tricky, is acquiring good

entomological keys, as there are

not many in circulation. We are

anticipating that a new key for

Andrena bees will be published

soon. In the meantime, Im also

including some links and

resources to point you in the

right direction!

RESOURCES

Suppliers of Equipment

- Natural History Book Suppliers (NHBS)

Pots, nets, hand lenses, nest boxes and Natural History Books

http://www.nhbs.com/equipment/

- Watkins and Doncaster - Entomological Equipment

http://www.watdon.co.uk/the-naturalists/

- Metascientific Novex AP & AR Microscopes

http://metascientific.com/

Help With Identification

- iSpot a fantastic website where boffins identify stuff for you from

photos you upload! Quite addictive, youve been warned!

http://www.ispot.org.uk/

- Wild About Britain a forum where folks post questions, topics and

photos for identification online. Lots of proper boffins go on here

and they are very friendly and full of great information!

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/

- NatureSpot a nice little site with species info including

descriptions.

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/home

- Nature Conservation Imaging excellent photos with id tips

http://www.natureconservationimaging.com/

- The Bees of Surrey

http://www.nhbs.com/bees_of_surrey_tefno_157965.html

and The Wasps of Surrey

http://www.nhbs.com/wasps_of_surrey_tefno_177199.html

both amazing books that make good bedtime reading lots of

identification features, etc. Not just for people in Surrey!

Training Courses

- Field Studies Council There is a FSC centre at Preston Montford,

just an hours drive from Walsall, where you can undertake all kinds

of entomology couses.

http://www.field-studies-council.org/

- Bio.Fell Biodiversity Fellows

http://www.field-studies-council.org/supporting-you/fsc-

projects/current-projects/biodiversity-fellows.aspx

Bee Conservation

- Bumblebee Conservation Trust

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/

- Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS)

http://www.bwars.com/

- Buglife

http://www.buglife.org.uk/

- Royal Entomological Society

http://www.royensoc.co.uk/

Best Bee Recording Apps

- RecordWildlife - iPhone

- iSpot - Android

- Sightings iPhone / iPad

- FSC Wildlife Guides iPhone

- Collins British Wildlife iPhone (6.99)

Checklist for your Kit Bag

- Butterfly net (white)

- Bug pots

- Field Guide/s

- Hand Lens

- Digital Camera

- Tissue or handkerchief (for immobilising bees)

- Sunblock

- Hat

- Decent Shoes

- Insect repellent (ironic, eh?)

- Bite/sting Cream

- Phone (charged up!)

- GPS or phone app with GPS

- Water!

- Binoculars for those bees you cant reach!

- A friend safety in numbers! (Obviously this wont fit in your bag!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan Bowers is a naturalist

and entomologist studying

Aculeate Hymenoptera in the

West Midlands. She works as

Senior Countryside Ranger for

Walsall Countryside Services,

and volunteers as Surveys officer

for the Black Country and

Staffordshire Naturalists, bat

care coordinator for the

Birmingham and Black Country

Bat Group and voluntary roost

visitor for Natural England.

Morgan is a regular blogger on

her own blog The Reremouse,

the BrumBats blog & website

and the Black Country &

Staffordshire Naturalists web

pages, has written guest blogs

for the Bat Conservation Trust,

and was Editor of the Provisional

Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles

of Birmingham and the Black

Country (Wildlife Trust for

Birmingham and the Black

Country, 2005).

She gives regular talks about

citizen science and the use of

social media in conservation and

ecology.

An advocate of Citizen Science,

Morgan studied Physical

Geography at the University of

Wolverhampton followed by

Biological Recording at the

University of Birmingham.

She is also an active participant

in the Field Studies Councils

Invertebrate Challenge (Aculeate

Hymenoptera) and bio.fell

programmes, and is a member of

the Bees, Wasps and Ants

Recording Society (BWARS)

She tweets on @TheReremouse