Ground Nesting Flies

[BigAl]

Returning to this theme after a break of a year! They're emerging from my lawn again, especially on warm sunny days.

There was an answer to 'Answers to Correspondents' in the Daily Mail last week, posted by Stuart Hine from the Entomology Dept at the Natural History Museum.

He was responding to, 'For the past 3 years we have had black bumble bees nesting in dry soil by our front door. What species are they?

Hine says, 'These bees are commonly called the 'Hairy-footed flower bee', Anthophora plumites.
Although the appearance is much like a bumble bee, they are a species of solitary bee, each female builds and provisions her own nest without the cooperation of other individuals of the same species.
This is a common bee in southern Britain and females often nest in dense aggregations in suitable sites, the nest burrows being commonly excavated in firm soil andsoft mortar joints (so my Dad was correct in calling them 'mortar bees' - see last year's postings).

These bees can be seen darting about the garden from late March to June, where they gather nectar from such flowers as Deadnettle, Flowering currant, Lungwort species, Grape hyacinth, primrose and horse chestnut.
The male is quite distinct from the black females and is a gingery coloured bee with a noticeably yellow 'face' which can be seen patrolling flower borders in search of females (I haven't seen a male, but I'll keep a look-out from now on).

[BigAl]

Just returned to this site after a long break. Truth is, my 'puter totally crashed and I eventually had to buy a new one. I lost all my 'Favourites;' addresses etc etc. I knew I subscribed to some Natural History site, but couldn't remember its name. It just came back to me this week, 'Wild About Britain' and, to my amazement, my Username and Password worked. i.e. I hadn't had to use anything unusual for this particular site.

Anyway, the mining bees are emerging from my lawn in force again

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by BigAl

Just returned to this site after a long break. Truth is, my 'puter totally crashed and I eventually had to buy a new one. I lost all my 'Favourites;' addresses etc etc. I knew I subscribed to some Natural History site, but couldn't remember its name. It just came back to me this week, 'Wild About Britain' and, to my amazement, my Username and Password worked. i.e. I hadn't had to use anything unusual for this particular site.

Anyway, the mining bees are emerging from my lawn in force again

Good to have you back - how about trying to get a photograph of them its possible we may be able to work out what family of bee they are...

I love them, we have many at work, I love to watch them so busy!!

[tristanba]

These really sound like Andrena cineraria to me. The females are considerably larger and chunkier than the slender males and are starting to emerge now.

[BigAl]

I'll try to get a photo. Not sure where my 'insect box' is right now. Also, I'll have to remember how to send photos to this site - I have done it before...

[Jason Green]

...so you can do it again!

I like the updates Al - it's nice to know they are pretty well established!

[BigAl]

Well, I've tried uploading my photos but failed spectacularly. I've tried uploading into Forum Images and I get a message to say that they've upladed successfully. However, they're nowhere to be found in Forum Images, or the Gallery or in My Images...

However, I've found Steve 149c's images of A. cineraria and, I must say, they do look very much like the ones in my lawn.

Alan

[BigAl]

Eucera dropped by this afternoon, and he positively identified my bees as A.cineraria

[Mal V]

I have had masses of Grey Mining Bees around my newly dug front garden bed for the past three weeks (I live in Goathurst in Somerset). There must be somewhere between fifty to a hundred of them. I'm not sure what they're up to, but they're fascinating to watch. They seem to spend most of their time buzzing quietly around the ground, landing, investigating and taking off again. Occasionally two or three seem to have a mini-bundle on the ground. When the sun goes in they disappear like ghosts, only to reappear as soon as the sun shows it's face. They also appear to be somewhat clumsy, as they're always stumbling and falling over or bumping into things. They are most definitely Andrena cineraria, but I can't find much information about them or their habits, apart from what I've gleaned from this thread.

There's a couple of Bombus pascuorum around, but they seem to be nervous of the mass of Grey Mining Bees, who fly at them every time they come too near.

Mal

[tristanba]

I agree they are superb to watch - it was finding a colony of A. cineraria near my house that started my interest in bees a few years ago. The 'mini-bundles' you refer to are males mistakenly trying to mate with one another! They are always very excitable and are constantly searching for newly-emerged females. Look out for yellow and black wasplike Nomada bees, which parasitize the nests of Andrena species - there are two species associated with A.cineraria colonies.

BWARS - Andrena cineraria

Cheers
Tristan