Andrena - Mining Bees

There are over 60 species of Andrena mining bees in Great Britain, some of them endangered. They nest in the ground, with nests being isolated or in aggregations; some of them very large. The nest entrance leads to a burrow, with lateral smaller burrows where the eggs are laid.

Andrena are generally very hairy and vary in length from less than 5mm to over 15mm. Males are generally smaller and slimmer than females and emerge a few days earlier.

It can be challenging to identify some species from photographs, but close examination of features and the time of year the bee is active, can help with this.