News / east bristol
Rare hairless bee recorded in Bristol for first time
A rare species of bee, Nomada zonata, has been discovered in east Bristol – the first time that the bee has been recorded in the city.
Also known as the Nomad Bee, the creature is harmless and has a distinctive wasp-like appearance that doesn’t collect pollen for its young, but said by scientists to still be an important plant pollinator plants, fruit trees and wildflowers.
The stripy bug was spotted by volunteer Susan Acton Campell on Troopers Hill as part of funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA). The project sees residents taking part in bee surveys and other pollinator activities run by the Natural History Consortium.
is needed now More than ever
Nomada zonata was first recorded in England back in 2016 in Kent and Essex, and there have been only 113 sightings of it since – the closest one being in Stroud back in 2020.
The discovery was made on Troopers Hill in St George – photo: Ellie Pipe
Savita Willmott, chief executive of the Natural History Consortium, said: “We’ve had a brilliant time showing communities across the region how to find and record pollinators and other wildlife as part of our project. It just goes to show how important it is to document our wildlife – you never know what you might find!”
WECA mayor Dan Norris added: “This is an un-bee-lievable and super-important find. It just goes to show the brilliant work my West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and our partners are doing to make our amazing West of England region the best place in the whole country for our bee buddies.”
Main photo: Susan Acton Campell
Read next:
- What’s in a place name?
- Applications open for community pollinator fund
- ‘Birdgirl’ Mya Rose joins National Geographic’s Young Explorers
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