Tawny Mining Bee

Andrena fulva

Tawny mining bees are solitary bees that fly during spring. Females are characterised by thick red or orange hair on their thorax, with long, dense, and slightly lighter orange hair on the abdomen. They are similar in size to honeybees. Their legs, faces, and undersides are covered in black hair.  Males need close inspection to differentiate from other similar mining bees and are more challenging to identify; they are smaller and thinner with browner, less dense hair. This species sometimes nest in large groups, digging nest tunnels in south-facing embankments with sparse or short vegetation. They visit a range of flowers and trees for pollen and are active from March to June, being prevalent across most of southern Britain.