Sea-aster Colletes Bee Colletes halophilus
The Sea-aster Colletes Bee (Colletes halophilus) is one of Britain’s most habitat-specific solitary bees – a coastal specialist almost entirely dependent on Sea Aster (Tripolium pannonicum) as its sole pollen source, timing its flight period precisely to coincide with the plant’s late summer flowering. It is largely confined to the saltmarshes and coastal grasslands of south-east England, and Suffolk’s extensive estuarine saltmarshes – particularly those of the Alde–Ore, Deben, Orwell, and Stour – make the county one of the most important in Britain for this species. Females nest colonially in sandy, well-drained soil close to saltmarsh. The long-term health of Suffolk’s saltmarsh habitats is directly linked to this bee's survival. Image: © Paul Kitchener, Flickr.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society, Buglife – management guidance (pdf)
Suffolk’s Priority Ant, Bee and Wasp Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
