About the Ashy Mining Bee
The ashy mining bee (Andrena cineraria), also known as the Danubian miner or grey mining bee, is a species of sand bee found in Europe. Its distinctive black, grey and white colouring makes it one of the most easily recognized of the genus. They are generally considered safe around children and pets because they are relatively docile, and their stingers are not long enough to penetrate human skin. They are generalists, they mostly pollinate fruit trees, daisies, buttercups, mustard plants and brambles.
The females are black, with two broad grey hair bands across the thorax. The male is also black although the thorax is entirely covered with grey hairs. The male has a tuft of white hairs on the lower face and white hairs on all femora while the female has white hairs only on the front femora. The females have twelve segments to their antennae and the males have thirteen.
The ashy mining bee is common and widespread throughout Europe, ranging from Ireland across central Europe and into Scandinavia. They are common throughout the United Kingdom although less frequent in northern Scotland. They prefer to nest in tended... Wikipedia →