Succesfully avoiding the heat today at Gorleston with grey sky, cool breeze and max 20 degrees. Insects not very active but a sluggish female Andrena nigrospina or pilipes was my reward. If the latter, it may be the first for Norfolk.

Some highlights from a warm morning hunting insects on Halvergate Marshes with Paul Brock and Helen, included the Fen Mason Wasp, Long-horned General, Ornate Brigadier, (almost certainly) the tiny Apsidapion soror on Marsh-Mallow, and (evading the camera) a Moss Carder Bee.

Visiting Ranworth Church this am, following up a belated report of a new bee for Norfolk on iNaturalist by bhunt27, I quickly discovered a thriving colony of Osmia cornuta nesting in the south-facing wall of the church. Most nests are 3-5m up but a few were at head height.

I stumbled across these "gendarmes" Pyrrhocoris apterus at Thorpe St. Andrew Old Hospital while looking for, but not finding, a different black and red insect around the Colletes cunicularius colony. A Norfolk and UK first for me so even better than a Giant Blood Bee.

Trimingham is the only one place I know in East Anglia where I can reliably find Andrena nigripes. Today, at least 9 females were visiting in ragwort, knapweed and mignonette.

I think this is the larva of Alder Clubhorn, Cimbex connatus, under Alder trees at Broadland Country Park, Norfolk, yesterday.

Ceropales maculata, our prettiest spider-hunting wasp, not seen in Norfolk since 1986, but found today at Middle Harling Heath. The Giant Blood-Bee was also new for the site and 122nd bee species I have found there.

Andrena nitidiuscula/Carrot Mining Bee, first Norfolk record at Downham Market, found by Stephen Patmore on 14th and confirmed today. Previously found no further north than S. Essex so a big range extension.

No more Beewashing please! Why beekeeping doesn't help conserve bees. Pls RT if you agree.
youtu.be/fiBYBmlKSYU

Just thinking Sweet Briar Marshes was a little dull entomologically, then got this tiny one under the microscope. Nitela lucens - a new species and genus for me and for Norfolk.

A nice selection of cleptoparasites and parasitoids of Osmia bees and relatives in my small garden this morning: Monosapyga clavicornis, Sapyga quinquepunctata, Stelis phaeoptera and Chrysura radians. Monosapyga was my first garden record.

This male Bombus jonellus was a surprise among 32 species of bee in and around The Walled Garden at Little Plumstead this morning, and nice to see a paper wasp Polistes dominula in the churchyard next door.

Another weekend and another Giant Blood Bee at a new Norfolk site - Broome Heath. Another recent UK colonist, Lasioglossum sexstrigatum, was there too. These two seem to like the same places.