Several new species of bees has been recorded for the first time at a Highland Perthshire nature reserve.
Bee expert Anthony McCluskey made numerous discoveries at the National Trust for Scotland’s Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve last year.
The spot, at Killin, is already home to nine of the 24 known bumblebee species – including the rare bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) and the broken-belted bumblebee (Bombus soroeensis).
New species discovered
But Mr McCluskey recorded sightings of female Clarke’s mining bees (Andrena clarkella) for the first time foraging on willow catkins on the Morenish woodland trail.
The widespread species are traditionally very hairy with pollen baskets not only on their legs but on their abdomen too.
Sightings of the rare female Lime-loving furrow bee (Lasioglossum fulvicorne) have also been logged – just the ninth time the species has been recorded in Scotland.
Those other sightings have all been logged in a small area of the Cairngorms.
The first of many discoveries to come
Mr McCluskey said it had been “extremely exciting” to spot so many new varieties, and that Ben Lawers is the “perfect environment” for them.
Pointing to the new woodland which offers “excellent food sources and nest sites”, he said: “The findings from last year show the importance of providing just the right conditions for these remarkable insects.
“This includes the willows and wildflowers that provide food for the bees, as well as the sunny spaces for them to nest in the ground.
“It was extremely exciting to find several new species at Ben Lawers last year, and no doubt there will be more to discover at this amazing site.”