Saturday June 30

Last night a single moth made it into the bathroom. But it was a new one.

It was almost certainly a Grey Dagger, and I am happy to accept it as such. However, there is a much scarcer species called Dark Dagger which cannot be safely split without genitalia examination.

Probably Grey Dagger

Meanwhile, with no word from my chosen bee expert, I have been trying to work out what the bees in the bee hotel are. I have come up with a theory. The leaf-cutters may be Patchwork Leafcutter Bee Megachile centuncularis. The female shows an orange comb under the abdomen, while what I took to be the male showed only a small amount of hair on the tarsi of the front leg.

If I have got that right, this rather messes up what I thought the sharp-tail bees were. I think they are Dull-vented Sharp-tail Bees Coelioxys elongata. These are supposed to parasitise mainly Willughby's Leafcutter Bees  Megachile willughbiella (although it sounds like not exclusively so).

Anyway, here is my evidence.

Female sharp-pointed bee thought to be Coelioxys elongata

A day later I have reviewed this theory and after obtaining further evidence have discovered it is completely wrong.