This is the first new bee I’ve made in over 18 months and I’m so very pleased with her.
She’s special because she’s the ‘End of Summer Bee’, marking the changing season and a time of hibernation for some bee species but for most, the end of their natural lives.
But the eggs are laid, waiting for winter and then spring.
To everything a season.

The ivy bee is a fairly new arrival to the UK but is now listed in the Steven Falk’s book of British bees. It was was recorded here in 2001. Towards the end of summer and early autumn, you’ll see it feeding on the nectar of ivy flowers along with other bees, butterflies, wasps, flies. So ivy is a really important plant. These bees nest in loose, light or sandy soil on southern-facing banks and cliffs and, although they are solitary bees, they can sometimes be seen nesting close to one another, in small to large aggregations - once seen, never forgotten.

This Colletes hederae or Ivy Bee is made out of needlefelted British wool and completed with stitched vintage threads. She is now in her permanent new home of a vintage silver locket - I’m unsure of its age. The bee measures 2.5cm from the top of her front legs to her tail and the locket is 3.7cm not including the bail at the top. It is 2.8cm wide and approximately 0.9cm deep.
There is no chain included with this locket.

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