The Cheshire Bee Group was formed in early 2019 by Leanna Dixon (Tanyptera Project, National Museums Liverpool) and Chloe Aldridge (RECORD LRC).
The aims of the group are to;
- Increase the number of Cheshire bee records (including on under recorded sites)
- Enable shared learning to develop bee identification skills
- Increase interest in bee recording
The group undertakes field trips to different locations throughout the season (April to September).
Contact: cheshirebeegroup@gmail.com
Sign up to the mailing list here
2023 Events 10:30am – 4pm
17th May – Grosvenor Park and Chester Meadows, Chester – Bee Recording Day
16th June – Leasowe Dunes, Wirral – Bee Recording Day
2nd July – Anderton Nature Park, Northwich – Bee Recording Day
20th July – World Museum, Liverpool Visit – we will be taking a look to see what bees we can find in the museum’s meadows (weather dependent). We will also have access to the museum’s fantastic bee collections so you are welcome to come and practise your identification under the microscopes. If you have any specimens or photographs to identify please bring these along and we will help each other with identifications.
8th August – Teggs Nose, Macclesfield – Joint Recording Day with RECORD LERC – book via eventbrite here.
Places are limited, so please email cheshirebeegroup@gmail.com if you would like to join us on the above days, and we will reserve a place for you.
Please be aware that whilst we welcome bee recorders of all levels, these are recording days rather than taught or guided sessions.
For those who do not have their own equipment, we have some nets, pots and hand lenses available to borrow on request.
An overview of 2019
Ness Botanic Gardens Field Visit – April 2019
Sites visited
- Chester Meadows
- Norton Priory, Runcorn
- Risley Moss, Warrington
- Red Rocks, Wirral
- Countess of Chester Country Park
- Ness Botanic Gardens, Wirral
- Cleaver Heath Nature Reserve, Heswall
- Chester Zoo
Key finds (species with less than 10 records in Cheshire pre 2019).
Sphecodes ferruginatus
| Species | Location |
| Sphecodes ferruginatus | Risley Moss |
| Megachile versicolor | Cleaver Heath |
| Andrena nitida | Chester Meadows |
| Andrena denticulata | Chester Zoo & Red Rocks |
| Nomada leucophthalma | Cleaver Heath |
| Coelioxys elongata | Cleaver Heath |
The Blood bee Sphecodes ferruginatus was a new record for Cheshire. A blog post about its identification using DNA barcoding can be found here.
