Not commonly seen on the wing before April, this bee was seen in mid March, another sign of the changing climate perhaps. Tawny mining bees are one of our most recognisable spring-flying solitary bees with dense gingery (orange/red) hair, although unlike birds, the males are not as striking or noticeable as the females. The Tawny mining bee is what we call a solitary bee, as they don’t live in a hive like the honey bee. They will however still nest in large groups and the volcano=like mound of earth leading to their underground burrows can be found in parks and gardens. They feed from a wide range of flowers including buttercups, dandelions, hawthorn, blackthorn, willows and fruit trees.
By River Six Photo by River
