There are around 270 species of bees in the UK, of which 250 are solitary bees that do not live in colonies, unlike honeybees. Most of these solitary bees make their nests in self-digging holes in the ground, while other species lay their eggs in hollow reeds or elderberry stalks, in old beetle tunnels in dead wood, in hollows in stone walls or even in old snail shells.
Solitary bees eat nectar and pollen, like honeybees, and provide their eggs with pollen on which the hatched larvae can feed. However, a number of solitary bees do not and parasitize other species: they lay their eggs on the egg of another bee, and their larvae then eat the other larva.
As with all insects, Britain’s bees do not do well. Their numbers have declined sharply in recent decades, and since 1900, 13 species have become extinct. Dozens of other species are in danger of extinction.
The main cause of this degradation is the changing use of the land, which is causing bees to lose their habitat. Other causes include diseases and parasites, especially mites, chemical pesticides, pollution and climate change.
