16/08/2023
If you’re holidaying by sand dunes in the UK this summer on the south coast, Norfolk, Dorset, or the west coast of Wales, look out for one of our most striking bees.
The Pantaloon bee (Dasypoda hirtipes) is a fluffy medium-sized (11-16mm), solitary bee which gets its name from the oversized pollen brushes on the female’s hind legs which resemble orange pantaloons, or baggy trousers.
They have a golden brown coloured thorax and alternating golden brown and black bands on their abdomen. But it is the pollen brushes that make the females unmistakable.
They make her easy to spot when foraging for food, or when she is excavating her burrow in the sand. She uses those pollen brushes like a digger and creates a large fan of sandy spoil to one side of the entrance hole to her nest, you can see her in action in this fantastic video.
She is most likely to nest in sandy banks and coastal footpaths, but has been spotted in urban nature reserves with south facing banks of sandy or loose soil. These bees often nest next door to each other in large aggregations. They emerge in June and fly until late August.
They forage mainly on yellow ‘weedy’ flowers like Hawk’s beards, Ragworts, Common fleabane, Hawkbits, and Cat’s ear. There is only one species of Pantaloon bee in the UK. This species is also found across Europe along with the Silvery Pantaloon bee, (Dayspoda argentata). Worldwide, there are 30 species of Pantaloon bee.
Helping Pantaloon bees
Observe and appreciate
You could try growing lots of yellow weedy flowers in your garden like Hawk’s beards, Ragworts (be careful if you back onto paddocks or pastures as Ragwort can be poisonous to horses and cows), Common fleabane, Hawkbits, and Cat’s ear. But unless you can create the habitat they need for nesting, it’s unlikely you will attract Pantaloon bees. You could try to create a sand bank in your back garden, but given the population is mainly confined to coastal and heathland areas in the UK, it’s best to just observe and appreciate this lovely bee whenever you get the chance.
For other bees to see this month, how to tell them apart, and how to help them, sign up to Alison’s free Buzz newsletter.
