Best time to see: mid Mar to late May
Key facts
Solitary bees that build nests in the ground, in sunny banks and cliffs, roadside verges and close-cut lawns
Emerge in spring and early summer, often in large numbers, then build and provision new nests for the next generation
Common across much of southern England, including in gardens
Recognition
Females build and provision the nest and can be recognised by the pollen brushes on their hind legs
The male lacks a pollen brush and is usually slimmer and less hairy than the female
Parasitised by other bees and flies that attempt to lay eggs in or steal from their nests
Lifecycle
In summer the female constructs a series of chambers in each nest, laying an egg and supplying nectar and pollen as food
The eggs or larvae over-winter and develop within the nest the following spring, digging their way out
Females sometimes emerge the same summer to nest, dying out in autumn (bivoltine)
© Tony Gunton