kevju Posted May 17, 2010 Share 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsmith Posted May 17, 2010 Share 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevju Posted May 17, 2010 Author Share 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). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Sound like Miner/Mining Bees. They are solitary and laying their own eggs in holes. They don't make communal nests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phawley Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Same thing ........ http://www2.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=603 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 like this mining bee here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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