Early Bee moth

I record a few Bee moths (mostly female) every year in my garden or house, usually between May and August, although once in September. Last year the earliest was 13 April, but this year the earliest was a few days ago (No.1 in the picture). Generally in guides and websites the adult is said to be flying from June to August, but closer examination of the data shows that May to August is more correct, with occasional sightings in April and September as I have found (but not usually in March?).

This is a relatively common and easy micromoth to identify; often beautifully coloured (pinkish-red then green in the outer one-third) and with distinct zig-zag crosslines when fresh. However, as seen below the female and male (No.2) are distinctly different. The photos are size-matched and taken on a standard grey card for colour correctness. In addition to usually-cited differences, one that it not given in any guide or website is that the female has long palps while the male either doesn't appear to have any or they are well concealed! This feature can be useful in identifying the female when the moth is too worn to show other features clearly.

John Thacker
Harwell, Oxon