A remarkable Cornish site for ground-nesting bees and wasps

Abstract

The south coast of the UK features a number of habitats rich in ground-nesting aculeate wasps and bees. Many of these are in predominantly sandy areas due to nesting requirements, but adjacent heathland may be especially critical in providing rich flower sources for these insects.A surprisingly small transition zone between Hard Cliff and Maritime Heath habitats was found to support an unusually rich local fauna of ground-nesting bees and wasps, near the top of a promontory known as Carn Du, SE of Lamorna Cove in south-western Cornwall. In an area of partly exposed sandy soil measuring approximately 20 m2, more than twenty species (ten solitary bees, 10 aculeate wasps) were found during summer 2024, along with a handful of rarely observed species. We report the species found nesting there and illustrate many of them via field photographs.

Keywords

• Andrenidae
• Apidae
• Astatidae
• Bembicidae
• Chrysid