Aculeates

'Aculeate' is a term given to bees, ants and some of the more familiar groups of wasps - all of the groups with a sting. It is used to differentiate them from the less familiar (but much more numerous) parasitic wasps.

Bethylidae

Bethylus cephalotes - a small wasp  found along Naidens Lane in 2021

Chrysididae

A small family of beautiful metallic coloured wasps. Can sometimes be seen around 'bee hotels.'

Chrysis angustula - the most frequently identified species

Chrysura radians

Omalus aeneus

Trichrysis cyanea

Formicidae

Only a small number of ant species have been detected so far, and others would probably be present if carefully searched for. 

Lasius flavus - only noted in garden so far, must be far more widespread

Lasius fuliginosus - at least one colony along Naidens Lane, with winged examples reaching the garden at times

Lasius niger - the abundant small black ant (other species possibly to be found, but all the ones I've checked so far have been this)

Myrmica rubra - widespread red ant, including colony found under snake mats at Stubbs Green in 2015

Myrmica ruginodis - very similar to rubra and also appears to be common

Stenamma debile - recorded in garden in 2022 by suction-sampler

Mutillidae

Myrmosa atra - an obscure little wasp, found several times - parasitises other solitary wasps and bees

Pompilidae

A small but striking family of spider-hunting wasps.

Anoplius nigerrimus

Auplopus carbonarius - the most frequently encountered species, regularly flying into the house in summer

Caliadurgus fasciatellus

Priocnemis perturbator

Tiphiidae

Small family of small wasps that parasitise dung-beetles

Tiphia femorata

Tiphia minuta

Vespidae

The 'vespid' wasps include the very familiar Common and German Wasps, which are the two species that pester you around your picnics, and the larger Hornet, as well as a number of less familiar groups.

Ancistrocerus gazella

Ancistrocerus nigricornis

Ancistrocerus parietinus

Ancistrocerus trifasciatus

Dolichovespula media - two records so far

Dolichovespula saxonica - first recorded in 2020

Symmorphus bifasciatus - seemingly common, regularly flying into the house

Symmorphus gracilis - single record in 2019

Vespa crabro - the Hornet, seems to be common around Shotesham. Large numbers sometimes come to the moth-trap in late summer

Vespula germanica - very common

Vespula vulgaris - very common

Crabronidae

Most of the solitary aculeate wasps are members of this family. They're not as widely recognised as the large vespid wasps, and many are small or very small insects. A good variety have been found now, although others are doubtless still being overlooked. Very hard to get photos of live insects. Many records have been of insects found inside the house on sunny days.

Argogorytes fargeii - seemingly quite a scarce species, found twice

Argogorytes mystaceus - common, regularly flies into the house

Cerceris quinquefasciata

Cerceris rybyensis

Crossocerus annulipes - the numerous species of small wasps in this genus can be difficult to identify

Crossocerus megacephalus

Crossocerus nigritus

Crossocerus podagricus

Crossocerus pusillus

Crossocerus tarsatus

Diodontus minutus - small black wasp found on garden rose

Ectemnius cephalotes - this genus contains about ten black and yellow wasps, often tricky to identify

Ectemnius continuus

Ectemnius lapidarius

Ectemnius rubicola

Entomognathus brevis

Lestiphorus bicinctus - one of the most regular species and readily recognisable with practice

Lindenius panzeri - small black wasp, easily overlooked

Mellinus arvensis - regular in August and September

Nysson spinosus - occasionally found in house

Passaloecus corniger

Pemphredon lugubris - occasionally found in house

Philanthus triangulum (Bee-wolf)

Psenulus pallipes s.l. - small wasps, found twice but the species has since been split into two and I've not yet confirmed which occurs here

Spilomena troglodytes - a very tiny wasp, only found when one landed on my laptop screen at home.

Trypoxylon attenuatum - distinctive genus of small thin black wasps although not always easy to identify to species

Trypoxylon clavicerum

Trypoxylon medium

Apidae

The bees are sometimes all considered as members of the single family Apidae, or sometimes divided into about six families. A wide range of species have been found in the village, although certainly with more still overlooked.

Gwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) - very common spring bee

Hawthorn Mining Bee (Andrena chrysosceles) - first noted in 2020 although probably common

Clarke's Mining Bee (Andrena clarkella) - only one record so far, overlooked?

Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria) - found in All Saints churchyard in 2024 for the first time, seems to be increasing

Short-fringed Mining Bee (Andrena dorsata) - regular in spring

Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes) - can be very common in places

Bryony Mining Bee (Andrena florea) - new arrival in 2023

Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva) - regular in spring, females being very distinctive

Orange-tailed Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa) - regular in spring, females are readily identified

Red-girdled Mining Bee (Andrena labiata) - a distinctive species although confusable in the field with Sphecodes species; seen a few times around the village

Common Mini-miner (Andrena minutula) - very common, doubtless widely overlooked as is very small

Buffish Mining Bee (Andrena nigroaenea) - seems to be one of the more common spring bees

Grey-patched Mining Bee (Andrena nitida) - a few records

Small Sallow Mining Bee (Andrena praecox) - noted in 2020 and 2021

Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena scotica) - a common large solitary bee, emerging a little later in April than some other Andrena

Shiny-margined Mini-mining Bee (Andrena semilaevis) - very small bee, found a few times

Impunctate Mini-mining Bee (Andrena subopaca) - a couple of records in 2019, very small and probably overlooked

Trimmer's Mining Bee (Andrena trimmerana) - first noted in 2020 along Naidens Lane

Wilke's Mining Bee (Andrena wilkella) - single record in 2020

Fork-tailed Flower-bee (Anthophora furcata) - detected in garden in 2021, seemingly easily overlooked

Hairy-footed Flower-bee (Anthophora plumipes) - very visible spring bee, easily found around many garden flowers.  Males are brighter coloured than the black females.

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) - very common, not really a wild species but kept in hives at a number of places around the parish

Barbut's Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus barbutellus) - a queen flew into the house in 2018, the only record so far

Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) - probably quite common but less often identified than some other species

Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) - a recent colonist in the UK, first noted in 2012 in Shotesham. Became very common rapidly, then numbers dropped to much lower levels from 2018 onwards

Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) - very common

White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) - noted a few times but appears to not be particularly common

Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) - very common

Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) - quite common

Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus sylvestris) - recorded along a hedge by Nick Elsey in 2018 (probably widespread in low numbers).

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) - very common, even flying mid-winter when the weather is mild

Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus vestalis) - seemingly quite common in low numbers. This species takes over nests of Bombus terrestris

Small Scissor Bee (Chelostoma campanularum) - very small bee, overlooked until 2020 when noted several times around bellflowers in our back garden

Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) - a recent colonist, first found in the village in 2018 (after several years of watching out for its arrival) and has rapidly become a common species in early autumn on ivy.

Bronze Furrow Bee (Halictus tumulorum) - noted in 2018

Common Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus communis) - found in 2019 and 2020

White-jawed Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus confusus) - found in the garden in 2021

Hairy Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus hyalinatus) - found in the garden in 2020

Large Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus signatus) - found in the garden in 2020

Bloomed Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum albipes) - a few records

Common Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum calceatum) - regularly identified

Sharp-collared Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum malachurum) - in garden in 2021 

Green Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum morio) - common shiny green-tinted bee

Smooth-gastered Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum parvulum) - in garden in 2021

Lobe-spurred Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum pauxillum) - seemingly common

Smeathman's Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum smeathmanellum) - recorded once in 2015

Patchwork Leafcutter Bee (Megachile centuncularis) - noted a few times

Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee (Megachile ligniseca) - recorded in 2019 and 2020

Common Mourning Bee (Melecta albifrons) - regular in the garden, this is the 'cuckoo' of Anthophora plumipes

Clover Melitta (Melitta leporina) - noted on the common in 2019 and presumably regularly overlooked

Fabricius' Nomad Bee (Nomada fabriciana) - regular in the garden, parasitises the common Andrena bicolor

Yellow-shouldered Nomad Bee (Nomada ferruginata) - several records of this relatively scarce species, parasitises the sallow-feeding Andrena praecox

Flavous Nomad Bee (Nomada flava) - a few confirmed records, thought to parasitise mostly Andrena scotica

Little Nomad Bee (Nomada flavoguttata) - very small, noted several times - parasitises the smaller 'mini-miners' like Andrena minutula

Painted Nomad Bee (Nomada fucata) - a rapidly expanding species, first noted here in 2020 - parasitises Andrena flavipes

Gooden's Nomad Bee (Nomada goodeniana) - one of the most easily identified Nomada bees - parasitises Andrena nigroaenea amongst others

Early Nomad Bee (Nomada leucophthalma) - only two records so far, parasitises Andrena clarkella

Marsham's Nomad Bee (Nomada marshamella) - several records, parasitises Andrena scotica and probably others

Panzer's Nomad Bee (Nomada panzeri) - several records, parasitises a range of Andrena including fulva

Fork-jawed Nomad Bee (Nomada ruficornis) - one record in 2013, this species parasitises Andrena haemorrhoa

Variable Nomad Bee (Nomada zonata) - very rapidly spreading species, first noted in 2020 - parasitises Andrena dorsata

Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) - detected in garden in 2021

Orange-vented Mason Bee (Osmia leaiana) - two records in 2018

Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) - very common, one of the most likely species to be attracted to 'bee hotels'

Bare-saddled Blood Bee (Sphecodes ephippius) - in garden in 2021

Dark-winged Blood Bee (Sphecodes gibbus)

Box-headed Blood Bee (Sphecodes monilicornis) - in garden in 2020

Plain Dark Bee (Stelis phaeoptera) - first in 2023