Northern Colletes (Colletes floralis)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - hymenopteran > Bee |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Colletes floralis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Eversmann, 1852 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | Not listed in the British Red Data Book (Shirt 1987), but Falk (1991) has proposed that it should be included in future editions as Rare (pRDB3). |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | There are only two known sites in England, first recorded here in 1994. It is not known if this is a recent colonisation or a long-undiscovered population. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Maintenance of open, flower-rich dune systems should be sufficient to provide good habitat conditions. Autecology studies in Scotland suggest that population density increases with increased size in nest site, so extensive areas of early-succession vegetated sand are desirable. At some point, the old dune grassland may be less suitable for nesting but will remain important foraging habitat. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | There is a need to maintain extensive, open dune grassland, preventing scrub encroachment, afforestation and other vegetation successional changes. A diversity of dune grassland conditions with a mosaic of bare areas for nesting is needed. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | This is a northern species, so any potential spread southwards may be limited by climatic factors. However, on the east coast of Ireland it occurs at more southerly latitudes than on the English west coast. The English population is likely to be genetically isolated from the main populations in western Scotland. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Annual monitoring of the two known populations.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Sandscale Haws and Haverigg Haws.
Comments: Both populations are probably small so vulnerable to localised extinction. Ensuring their survival is a priority.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Search for new populations at Survey Eskmeals Range and Drigg Sand Dunes. A positive outcome can then help to inform site management
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Eskmeals Range and Drigg Dunes
Comments: These two sites lie to the north of the known populations. Eskmeals is a MoD testing range operated by Qinetiq and may not have been surveyed before due to access difficulties.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Manage habitat quality at Sandscale Haws and Haverigg Haws to conserve nesting areas and prevent invasion by scrub/Bracken.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Sandscale Haws and Haverigg Haws
Comments: Scrub encroachment and dune grassland succession could threaten the integrity of nesting areas and deplete the floral foraging resource.
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.