Nests of rare bees found in Cairngorms

Small scabious mining beeGabrielle Flinn

Small scabious mining bee nests have been found on a nature reserve

Nests of rare small scabious mining bees have been recorded for the first time in the Cairngorms.

The sites were discovered as part of the three-year Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project.

Conservationists will now be able to study the bees at their nests in an effort to better understand the insects' behaviour

The project has also found 11 rare pine hoverfly larvae, two of them at RSPB Scotland's Abernethy reserve.

Gabrielle Flinn

The mining bees' nests had not previously been recorded in the Cairngorms

The hoverflies have not been seen at Abernethy for five years.

RSPB Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are involved in the invertebrates conservation project.