Appear to be nesting outside - any ideas what it is?

[Nezza42]

Hi, we have a grass bank right outside our house & for the past week or two there have been hundreds of bee like insects flying just above or possibly burrowing into the bank.

They look a bit like a bee but don't have any yellow/orange colouring & don't appear to have a sting or be at all agressive

Any ideas what they are?

BTW, I live in Wiltshire
















thanks, Neal

[eucera]

They not only LOOK like bees... They ARE bees! You have a sizeable nesting aggregation of the Ashy Mining-bee Andrena cineraria.

I have these very abundantly around my Wiltshire home too (Salisbury).

You are right too about them not being aggressive. You could sit in the midst of them all day long and never get stung. In fact, I have tested their stings and it is so feeble it can not even penetrate my skin

[Nezza42]

Thanks, that puts my mind nicely at ease

A couple of days ago (when it was still nice & sunny) there were dozens of yellow & black stripped bees (?) showing a lot of interest in the bank too. Are they part of the same group (males or something?) or are they another species interested for some other reason?

Because of their colouring, I'm still concerned they may be a hazard to my 2 yr old!









Thanks again, Neal

[aeshna5]

These are Nomada lathburiana- cuckoo bees, that parasitise the Andrena cineraria nests.

No threat to your son- just enjoy them!

[Nezza42]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone, my mind is at rest!

[eucera]

Nomada lathburiana isn't a particularly common species generally, especially in southern England. Check out the maps on BWARS Home Page