112
The Essex Naturalist
XYLOCOPIDAE
SUBFAMILY CERATININAE
Ceratina cyanea Kirby The Blue Carpenter bee - RDB3
Harwood (1884) records the species from Nayland. Nicholson (1928) notes that
it has been recorded as fairly common in the Colchester district. The bee has
apparently not been recorded again in the county until it was rediscovered in
1993 at Mill Wood Pit in Thurrock (Harvey 1993d). Here there is a very large
population present, and the bee can sometimes be seen in large numbers.
Unfortunately virtually the whole of this important site has outline planning
permission for housing and it remains to be seen whether any significant part of
the area can be saved. Two males have also been taken at bramble flowers on
the edge of Grays Chalk Quarry. Details on the distribution and habits of the
bee are given in Else, 1995.
APIDAE
We are grateful to Prof. E. Benton for up-to-date information on the distribution
and occurrence of bumblebees Bombus and their cuckoo bees Psithyrus in Essex.
The species are very briefly treated here since Prof. Benton will he treating them
in detail in a separate publication in the neat future. There has been a serious
decline in the distribution and abundance of many species.
SUBFAMILY BOMBINAE
Genus: Bombus bumblebees. Twelve of the eighteen British species has been
recorded for the county and there are recent records for eleven of these.
Bombus (Bombus) lucorum (L.)
Very widespread with post-1980 records from all but two 10km squares in the
county.
B. (Bombus) terrestris (L.)
A widespread and common bumblebee with post-1980 records from all but one
10km square in the county.
B. (Melanobombus) lapidarius (L.)
Much the most widesptead and numerous bumblebee with post-1980 records
from every 10km square in the county.
B. (Pyrobombus) pratorum (L.)
Widespread and common with post-1980 records from every 10km square in the
county.
B. (Subterraneobombus) subterraneus (L.) - Notable A
A scarce species that has declined considerably, which used to be locally
common in many parts of southern England (Falk 1991). There are apparently
no post-1980 records in the county.