Subject: small insect on marjoram
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
September 21, 2015 2:12 am
Hi, I photographed this insect on a marjoram plant in the wales, UK, and can’t find anything that looks like it in my Collins guide. It seems to have short stubby wings and a long body This photo was taken using a 1:1 macro lens to give you an idea of scale, and the marjoram flowers are probably 2-5mm across. Any idea as to what it is would be gratefully received!
many thanks
Signature: chris stock
Dear Chris,
Our best guess at this time is that this might be a Cuckoo Bee in the genus Nomada, and of Nomada ferruginata, Nature Spot states: “This Nomada bee has a red abdomen with yellow flashes at the sides. It has dull yellow legs with dark femora. It lacks stripes on the thorax and has a pair of bright yellow tubercles on the pronotum near to the wing bases.”
Many thanks for your help, what a fantastic website/resource!
all the best
chris