IBRA - The International Bee Research Association has recently published Plants for Bees. Illustrated in full colour throughout, the book provides gardeners, beekeepers and bee lovers with all the information they need to create a healthy environment for the many species of bee in the British Isles.

Plants for Bees very adequately recognises the importance of all our native bee species. Many solitary as well as social species are depicted in excellent quality photographs, most of which have been contributed by BWARS members.

The Colletes hederae "ivy bee" season is upon us. C. hederae has been spreading north across the country since 2001 and BWARS is keen to continue recieving records of sightings.

Go the Colletes hederae project page

Details of workshops and the programme for the 2012 AGM are available here

BWARS member Nick Owens has jointly authored a new guide to the Bumblebees of Norfolk.

More details here

Welcome to the BWARS website - help us improve it further

An 116 year wait is over....

To celebrate the launch of its new website, BWARS is extremely pleased to offer the previously unpublished text for Bees of Britain as a free download. This provides the first significant work about Britain's Bees since 1896! It will be an essential aid to anyone wishing to study native bees in Britain and further afield.

Our thanks go to members Robin Williams, Mike Edwards and the team of authors for working so tirelessly to complete this important project.

To celebrate the creation of BWARS' new website, we are launching another round of a survey to monitor the spread and colonisation of Bombus hypnorum (aka tree bumblebee) across Britain and Ireland.

The content of this website is the work of many dedicated individuals who have contributed hours of their own time freely and willingly over many years.