Mining Bee at Nest Entrance for ID

[tigger]

I happened to go along to my local garden centre today and noticed loads of bees flying low over a large flowerbed in the car park which is planted up with large bushes of heather and then sandy ground inbetween (it is right on the edge of heathland on outskirts of our village).

After watching these skittish bees for 10 mins (and not getting a photo) I eventually found a nest, and managed to get a few shots of a bee going in and out of the hole.

I'd thought maybe Andrena flavipes (but if this is a female it doesn't have the long hairs on the back leg I'd expect to see) but maybe it's just a male waiting for a female to appear? or maybe it's something else?

Can anyone help? thanks. Jane

[tigger]

or possibly an Andrena dorsata? Any thoughts?

Thanks. Jane

[tristanba]

Hi Jane, very hard from your photos, but I think these are just flavipes males...could be completely wrong however

[tigger]

Thanks Tristan. Appreciate your reply. I'll try to take some more pics but they were very skittish!