Ashy Mining Bee: A Vital Pollinator in Your Garden
What is an Ashy Mining Bee?
The ashy mining bee is a small, solitary bee that plays a crucial role in pollinating plants. It’s about the size of a honeybee, but it has distinct blue-black and ash-grey markings. Females have two ash-grey hair bands on their thorax and ash-grey hairs on their face. Males are smaller and have more grey hairs across their body, including their antennae.
Where Do Ashy Mining Bees Live?
Ashy mining bees are ground-nesting bees, meaning they burrow into the ground to create their nests. They prefer bare ground or areas with short vegetation, such as well-manicured lawns. Interestingly, despite being solitary bees, they often nest together in large groups, creating volcano-like mounds around their nests.
What Do Ashy Mining Bees Eat?
Like all bees, ashy mining bees feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. They are active from March to June and are particularly fond of early-blooming plants such as willow, blackthorn, and dandelions. They also play a vital role in pollinating oilseed rape, a crop important for producing vegetable oil.
How Do Ashy Mining Bees Reproduce?
After mating, female ashy mining bees burrow into the ground to lay their eggs. They create several cells in their nests and lay one egg in each cell, along with a “cake” of pollen and nectar to serve as food for the developing larvae. The eggs hatch into grubs that feed on the pollen and nectar until they pupate and emerge as adults the following spring.
How to Help Ashy Mining Bees
As important pollinators, ashy mining bees need our help to thrive. Here are some ways you can support them:
- Provide plenty of early-blooming flowers: Plant flowers such as buttercup, hawthorn, blackthorn, gorse, and fruit trees to provide a food source for ashy mining bees in early spring.
- Avoid disturbing their nests: If you’re lucky enough to have ashy mining bees nesting in your lawn or borders, be mindful of their presence. Avoid mowing the lawn or digging in those areas during their nesting period, which typically lasts about three weeks.
- Create a bee-friendly garden: Choose plants that bloom throughout the year to provide a continuous food source for bees. Avoid using pesticides and herbicides, which can harm bees and other beneficial insects.
Conclusion
Ashy mining bees are fascinating creatures that play a vital role in our ecosystem. By understanding their needs and taking steps to support them, we can help ensure their continued presence in our gardens and beyond.