kevju   10 #1 Posted May 17, 2010 I have been building some walls and making some steps out of bricks for the past few months. Our garden now has piles of earth and some bits have been dug back so I can lay down some bricks.  This weekend when I was working I noticed some bees & wasps looking around where I was working. Mostly they were searching for a place to make a nest (buzzing around, going into any holes).  One bee was particularly interest in one patch of mud on a sloped bit (near an ants nest but this is probably coincidence).  This bee was small, black with an orange like dot on its back. It would stop and then look like it was digging in the ground.  I kept spraying them with water to try and put them off, put down stones and earth where they wanted to land and filled any holes they went into.  Anyone got any ideas if these are bees or wasps and what they want? The bit I am working on is outside our back door and the last thing I want is a nest there!  I live in Hillsborough near Malin Bridge, maybe others from this area have seen similar? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
scottsmith   10 #2 Posted May 17, 2010 Like you said, probably looking for somewhere to nest.  The one with an Orange dot on the back was probably the Queen Bee. However, the spot is placed on them by a bee keeper (I think?) to help them identify it. Would be strange to see a "marked" bee out of a hive though? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
kevju   10 #3 Posted May 17, 2010 Like you said, probably looking for somewhere to nest.  The one with an Orange dot on the back was probably the Queen Bee. However, the spot is placed on them by a bee keeper (I think?) to help them identify it. Would be strange to see a "marked" bee out of a hive though? These bees were small and there were 2/3 at one time which were the same. The orange dot didn't seem to be a marker, but part of their natural colour. The rest of the body was black. I didn't notice any stripes. I would say there were about 1.5cm long (approx 1/2 inch). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
cgksheff   44 #4 Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) Sound like Miner/Mining Bees.  They are solitary and laying their own eggs in holes. They don't make communal nests. Edited May 17, 2010 by cgksheff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
phawley   10 #5 Posted May 17, 2010 Same thing ........ http://www2.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=603 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Digsy   10 #6 Posted May 17, 2010 like this mining bee here? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
