Ivy Bee Survey 2023
Take part in our Ivy Bee Survey to help us to monitor ivy bees in Birmingham and the Black Country!
Ivy bees (Colletes hederae) are common in continental Europe, but they have only fairly recently made the hop across the channel to the UK.
They were first recorded in Dorset in 2001 and each year since then their distribution has expanded northwards. In 2015 they were recorded in Birmingham and the Black Country for the first time.
We need your help to discover how widespread this species is in 2023.
Ivy Bee’s main food source are Ivy flowers and are seen from September to late November during the flowering period of Ivy. They are a solitary species, but nest in dense aggregations underground in sandy, light soils.
We've put together an Ivy Bee Species Factsheet that can be downloaded here.
Take part in our Ivy Bee Survey by visiting an Ivy bush that is in flower on a dry, clear day and photograph any Ivy Bees you see. Send us your photograph and let us know:
- How many you saw
- When you saw them
- Where you saw them
Please send us your photos and sighting information either by emailing them to enquiries@ecorecord.org.uk
Or by submitting them using our online form below:
The Ivy Bee Survey is being carried out by EcoRecord (the Local Environmental Records Centre for Birmingham and the Black Country) and Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust.