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Marsham's Nomad Bee

Nomada marshamella

Basic Information

Common name: Marsham's Nomad Bee
Scientific name: Nomada marshamella

Black with yellow stripes, quite smooth.

A Nomad bee often seen in gardens.

Classification

Bee TypeSolitary
StatusCommon
Cuckoo StatusCuckoo
DistributionWidespread
Tail ColourBlack Tip

Keynotes

  • Wasp-like appearance, quite big and smooth

  • Look a lot like other Nomad bees (e.g. Gooden's and Orange-Horned Nomad bees)

  • Males sometimes have yellow dots on thorax

  • Females flying around burrows can indicate presence of hosts

Nest Information

  • Cleptoparasite - uses Miner bees as hosts

  • 1 cycle per year, 2 if host has two cycles

  • Fly April - June; July - August if 2 cycles

Distribution

  • Across Britain

  • Habitat: urban spaces, gardens, rural areas, gardens, open ground, woods, coastal, inland

Castes

MALE

April
No Diagram
No Photo

  1. Black, yellow chin

  2. Black, brown wing base

  3. Black, yellow bands

  4. Yellow

  5. Orange legs

Tail:Ginger/Yellow tail
Thorax:All Black
Abdomen:Banded, Black, yellow
Head:Black, yellow

FEMALE

April
No Diagram
No Photo

  1. Orange antennae

  2. Black, yellow dots

  3. Black, yellow bands

  4. Yellow, fluffy tip

  5. Orange legs

Tail:Black Tip
Thorax:Black-red, All Black
Abdomen:Banded, Black, yellow
Head:Black Head

Flower Preferences

Short tongue. Likes all sorts of flowers.

  • bilberry

  • crane's-bill

  • daisies

  • hawthorn

  • speedwell

  • thrift

Dandelion

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Heather

Heather

Calluna vulgaris

🌼

Wild carrot