Heath Bee-fly (Bombylius minor)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - true fly (Diptera) > Soldier fly or ally |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Bombylius minor |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Drake, 2017 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Records on iRecord indicate that the species is present in similar areas since the 1980's with no real expansion. Whilst the population seems stable it is small and limited to less than 10 hectads in the SW of England (Dorset Heaths). It is only the case of range constriction within its sites that would drive call for action, and management to benefit it. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | B. minor depends on dry heaths, banks and pits with sand where solitary bees such as Colletes .spp (C. succinctus is the main host) nest. Targeted management/increase in available habitat both for B. minor and it's host are necessary. |
| 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: | Creation of suitable nesting habitats for Colletes .spp i.e. steep sand banks (south facing), prevention of human disturbance to sensitive areas and prevention of scrub and tree encroachment leading to loss of suitable nesting sites for Colletes .spp would benefit both species and maintain the overall viability of the areas concerned for established flora/fauna. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Requires dry heaths, banks and pits with sand where solitary bees such as Colletes .spp (C. succinctus is the main host) nest. Adults visit areas adjacent to heaths nectaring on fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica, small yellow composites, tormentil Potentilla erecta and bell heather Erica cinerea |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Tailored surveys of potential habitat in known localities to determine the populations and species distribution, thus identifying areas where B. minor is missing.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Dorset Heaths (VC9)
Comments: Surveys of potential sites both to establish where present but also where missing, with the ongoing potential to manage habitat to allow expansion of the population.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Creation of suitable nesting habitats for Colletes .spp i.e. steep sand banks (south facing) at identified sites
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Dorset Heaths (VC9)
Comments: Creation of sites in unpopulated areas (by B. minor and it's host Colletes .spp) where viable, will potentially allow for increased populations and distribution.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Consider the benefits of site protection in heathland areas where the species occurs, to reduce the risk of encroachment by developers, for example.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Site protection
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Dorset Heaths (VC9)
Comments: Further encroachment by developments reducing habitat specific to B. minor and Colletes.spp will have a negative impact on population size, potentially leading to Red List status changes
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.