The small scissor bee - our smallest bee!
Most people can tell the difference between honey bees and bumble bees, but perhaps fewer people are aware of how varied bees in Britain can be. Sometimes that slightly annoying little fly on your plant photos is actually a tiny bee!
Small scissor bees are Britain’s smallest bee species at just six to seven millimetres in length. They are slim and have black shiny bodies topped by a disproportionately large head.
These solitary bees nest inside abandoned woodworm holes in dead wood and other natural holes they find. Areas surrounded by their favourite wildflowers are most prized by nesting females. They particularly like campanula flowers - especially harebells. The males sleep inside flowers and mating takes place in the flowers.
The bees are most likely to be seen in high summer.
Further reading
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