Last chance for FIT Counts in 2021!

The 2021 FIT Count season finishes at the end of September, so there's still time to try a count on Ivy flowers, which produce an average of 24 insects per 10-minute count, and other flower targets (such as Ragwort and Knapweed) are still flowering in some places. On Ivy you're likely to see plenty of wasps and maybe some Ivy Bees as well - see the PoMS flower charts for mode details.

If you do see Ivy Bees you can record them by adding a record on iRecord or via the BWARS website. Ivy Bees (Colletes hederae) are a bit smaller than a honey bee, and have an abdomen with obvious yellow stripes. For more identification tips see Steven Falk's Flickr page for Ivy Bee.

Ivy Bee - photo by Steven Falk