Miner bee ID

[Lord V]

Not sure if an ID is possible - smallish miner bee feeding on sugar/honey spray inside a camelia flower. Unfortunately it does mute the colours a bit. but unlike the earlier miner bee I posted, this one did have reddish brown thorax hairs. Also spotted a pair of very small nomada bees around the same bush.

Brian V.

[Geoff F]

Well with quite a few Andrena bicolor around now, that could be the answer. Although the face hair of your specimen seems a little on the pale side so I wonder about A. haemorrhoa.

I did get confused recently with what I initially assumed to be Andrena haemorrhoa but a better look at higher magnification made A. bicolor appear much more likely.

Perhaps this is one for a real expert.

And I also saw the first Nomada today. Haven't tried to ID yet but it had a small patch of pale yellow on the abdomen; which should narrow it down to 2 or 3 possibilities.

[Matt Smith]

I'd say the thorax was too rufous for a male A.bicolor and it just looks generally "wrong" for that species. The jaws and colour suggest A.haemorrhoa, but without a good look at the insect I can't give a definite det.

[JRsbugs]

It's very unlikely to be Andrena haemorrhoa, that has reddish hind tibia and tarsi.

[Lord V]

Thanks for the ID suggestions everyone
Will try to get some better shots when they are being more cooperative
Brian v.