Hymenoptera: Andrenidae - Mining bees Andrena cineraria Ashy Mining Bee Widespread and locally common in England and Wales. Also recorded from Scotland and Ireland and appears to be increasing in range. Found in open sunny areas on sand, chalk, silt and clay soils, in urban areas and on calcareous grasslands Nests singly or large or small aggregations in bare or poorly vegetated soil Usually univoltine March to June but there is increasing evidence of a 2nd generation with records from August to October Widely polylectic on spring-flowering trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants Parasites: Nomada lathburiana, Bombylius discolor and B. major

Andrena cineraria, Ashy Mining Bee
Kingston Lacy allotments, Dorset. April and October 2019