During an hour-long monitoring visit to the roof of a 12 storey building in Bloomsbury on 28 May, from 9.30- 10.30, with Ryan Mesarcik at Q&S Landscapes, we recorded 8 different bee species foraging:

1. Many Red-tailed bumblebees (14-16mm) on Hawkbit (pictured), Knapweed and Vetch
2. One Leafcutter bee (9-10mm) (pictured) on Purple vetch
3. Six Four-banded flower bees  (7-8mm) on Vipers bugloss (pictured)
4. A few Common furrow bees (8-10mm) on Mexican fleabane and Oxeye daisy.
5. A Yellow-face bee (4.5mm) on Mexican fleabane
6. A Blue mason bee (6-7mm) on Clover
7. Many Buff-tailed bumblebees (13-18mm) on: Hawkbit (Dandelion-like), Kidney vetch, Clover, Ragged robin, Vipers Bugloss, Oxeye daisy, Knapweed.
8. Many honeybees (9-10mm) on Hawkbit and Knapweed.

We used our eyes, our phones, and our bee charts to record and identify bees.

Urban Bees has been working with maintenance contractor, Q&S,the gardener designer and building manager, Savills to feed as many different bee species as possible throughout spring and summer on the huge roof.

It just goes to show with the right flowers – natives and non natives – and irrigation that wild bumblebees and small solitary bees will forage that high. We don’t know where any of them are nesting!

A June survey will follow at the end of the month…