Ground bee's and mining bee's
Posted on 17th September 2023 at 13:53
My lawns covered in wasps, what can we do?
We’ve got wasps all over the garden, can you help?
Its that time of year when we see the emergence of the ground or mining bee, these fluffy little insects use camouflage to throw off predators and trick them into thinking that they’re wasps, when in fact, they’re harmless, defenceless solitary bee’s that are important pollinators.
Why have we got so many bee's?
This ground has been left relatively undisturbed for a couple of years and being quite sandy, free draining and southerly facing, its become the ideal site for mining bee’s to come to and lay their eggs in.
Mrs Bee has been busy through the summer excavating burrows, laying eggs and packing a mixture of pollen and nectar for the young grubs to eat once they hatch, her lifecycle has come to an end and the future was all in her endeavours and this piece of ground.
Are ground bee’s dangerous?
These bee’s are 100% safe, although they will pick the same area as sometimes hundreds of others to nest in, because they don’t have a colony to protect like wasps and bumblebee’s, or food stores to safeguard like honeybee’s they have evolved without a stinger or venom.
There are a few species of ground bee’s that still have a stinger but they don’t produce any venom so they pose no threat to us. I can see how people find their presence alarming but it is a wonderful spectacle and something to enjoy.
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