MINING BEE

also called Digger Bee, or Solitary Bee, any of several hundred species of bees in the family Andrenidae (order Hymenoptera), particularly those of the genus Andrena. Many species are medium-sized bees with reddish-golden hair and long, prominent abdomens. Females excavate tunnels in the soil that branch off to individual cells stocked with pollen balls, nectar, and eggs. There may be one or two generations per year. The adult has a relatively short and pointed tongue, unsuitable for general foraging but, within each species, adapted to nectar-gathering from certain types of flowers.