Latin name:  Andrena fulva

Size:  Female is approx 15mm long.  Male is around 12mm long

Distribution:  Found mainly in southern and central U.K.

Months seen:  April to September

Habitat:  Gardens, allotments and parks.

Food:  Nectar and pollen

Special features:  Female tawny mining bees are covered in bright orange fur, with a few darker bands on the abdomen.  The male is a much darker colour (more tawny) excpt for a few white hairs on the face.  The males are also slightly smaller and thinner.

Their nests are often found on garden lawns, and look like little mounds of fine soil with a hole at the centre about the diameter of a pencil.

Tawny mining bees are solitary bees, and so each nest has just one bee.  The female digs a series of tunnels branching off from the main entrance. The female fills each tunnel with nectar and pollen each developing larva.  The larvae remain underground until the following spring.

Related Pages

• Creepy-crawlies Section
• UK Safari News