Surprise Encounter with a Sleepy Bee

Sleepy Bee. Photo: Steven Falk. Flickr gallery and stevenfalk.co.uk

On 16th May Mike Griffiths netted an unusual bee at Tom's Paddock. Its identity was verified by Carl Clee from World Museum, Liverpool as a male Chelostoma florisomne or sleepy bee. Information on the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) website reveals that it is not common in gardens but is often found where woodland and meadow meet, as at Tom's Paddock. It nests in old beetle burrows in dead wood in sunny locations and flies between May and July. It is one of the few bees ever to be found collecting pollen from Ranunculaceae flowers. If the weather is overcast males can be found, apparently asleep, amongst the stamens of the buttercups.