Buffish mining bee, Andrena nigroaenea, a large brown-haired mining bee

Andrena nigroaenea, the buffish mining bee. Jessica Alvey, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Andrena nigroaenea | Mining bee Large Spring-flying Ground-nesting

UK Bee Species

Buffish Mining Bee (Andrena nigroaenea)

Andrena nigroaenea (Kirby, 1802) · family Andrenidae

The buffish mining bee is a large, early spring mining bee, one of the first to appear and an important pollinator of willows and fruit blossom. Plain and brown where many of its relatives are boldly marked, it is best known for the company it keeps: it is the host of two of our commonest cuckoo bees, and forms some of the biggest nesting aggregations of any British bee. See where it fits on the UK Native Bee Species Map, or among the world's bees in the World Bee Atlas.

Quick Facts

Common nameBuffish mining bee

Scientific nameAndrena nigroaenea

AuthorityKirby, 1802

FamilyAndrenidae (mining bees)

UK statusWidespread and common

SizeLarge (about 10 to 15 mm)

ActiveApril to June; some in late summer

NestingBare ground; large aggregations

ForagePolylectic; willows, fruit, dandelions

CuckoosGooden's and Marsham's nomad bees

IUCNLeast Concern

TemperamentDocile, very rarely stings

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Andrenidae
Genus	Andrena
Species	Andrena nigroaenea

A big, plain, early bee

The buffish mining bee is one of the larger British Andrena, around 10 to 15 mm long, with females bigger than males.^[5] It is comparatively plain: a dark brown abdomen, dense brown hairs on the thorax, and buff or orange hairs on the hind legs and sides of the thorax that help carry pollen.^[5] It is among the earliest mining bees on the wing, with males flying from March and females from April, and since the mid-1990s a partial second generation has been recorded in late summer.^[5] Its plainness means it is most reliably told from relatives by a close view, and often by the cuckoo bees that follow it.^[2]

Over 100,000 bees in one bank

Although each female digs her own nest, the buffish mining bee often nests in large aggregations. At the Spetchells in Prudhoe, Northumberland, a single colony has been estimated at more than 100,000 bees sharing one chalky bank.^[3]

The host of two cuckoo bees

The buffish mining bee is best known as a host. It is parasitised by two of Britain's commonest and largest nomad bees, Gooden's nomad bee and Marsham's nomad bee, both bright black-and-yellow cuckoos that lay their eggs in the host's burrows.^[1][3] Learning to spot a patrolling nomad bee is one of the best ways to find a buffish mining bee colony, since the cuckoo flies low over the same bare, sunny ground in search of nests.^[4]

Plain to the eye but rich in associations: the buffish mining bee feeds the spring and hosts two of our boldest cuckoo bees.

Two cuckoo bees, Gooden's nomad bee and Marsham's nomad bee, both target the buffish mining bee. A nest bank busy with mining bees in spring is often shadowed by these wasp-like parasites waiting their turn.^[1]

Where it lives and what it visits

The buffish mining bee is widespread and common across much of Britain, nesting in bare ground and short turf, both singly and in large aggregations, often alongside other mining bees.^[3] It is a broad generalist, collecting pollen and nectar from blossoming spring shrubs and trees such as willows and fruit trees, and from herbaceous flowers including dandelions and buttercups.^[3] Its early emergence makes it a valuable pollinator at a time of year when few other bees are flying.

Source conflict

Sources disagree on how social its nesting is. The national recording society notes records of single nesting, while the standard field guide and many field observers report it nesting in dense aggregations, sometimes vast ones. The likeliest reading is that it does both, nesting alone where ground is scarce and clustering wherever conditions are ideal.^[2][4]

Why it matters

The buffish mining bee shows how an unshowy, common species can be ecologically central. It is an abundant early pollinator of orchards and hedgerows, and its great nesting banks support a community of cuckoo bees and other associates. Protecting open, sunny, sparsely vegetated ground, and the willows and spring blossom it depends on, keeps this keystone of the spring bee fauna, and everything that follows it, in place.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I identify a buffish mining bee?

Look for a large, fairly plain mining bee in early spring with dense brown hair on the thorax, a dark brown abdomen and buff or orange hairs on the hind legs and thorax sides. It is hard to separate from a few relatives without a close view, so the bold nomad bees that parasitise it are a useful clue to its presence.

What is a mining bee?

Mining bees are solitary, ground-nesting bees, mostly in the genus Andrena. Each female digs her own burrow with several cells, provisions each with pollen and nectar, and lays a single egg per cell. There is no queen and no worker caste.

When is the buffish mining bee active?

It is one of the earliest mining bees, with males flying from March and females from April through June. Since the mid-1990s a partial second generation has sometimes been recorded in late summer.

How big can its nesting aggregations get?

Very large. Although each female nests independently, they often cluster in huge numbers; a famous aggregation at the Spetchells in Prudhoe has been estimated at over 100,000 bees in one bank.

Which cuckoo bees use it as a host?

It is the host of two large nomad bees, Gooden's nomad bee (Nomada goodeniana) and Marsham's nomad bee (Nomada marshamella), which lay their eggs in its nests so their grubs can eat the stored food.

Is the buffish mining bee endangered?

It is assessed as Least Concern and remains widespread and common in Britain, though it has declined markedly in Northern Ireland in recent years. Habitat loss and pesticide use are the main pressures on mining bees generally.

Do buffish mining bees sting?

They can, but they are very docile and almost never sting, and the sting is weak. With no shared colony to defend they are safe around gardens, children and pets.

Does the buffish mining bee make honey?

No. Each female stores only enough pollen and nectar for her own larvae, never a harvestable surplus. Only the honeybee makes honey in quantity. Compare the bee families in the World Bee Atlas.

Related species

Shared cuckoo

Grey-patched Mining Bee

Andrena nitidaRead more → Mining bee

Yellow-legged Mining Bee

Andrena flavipesRead more → Mining bee

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena cinerariaRead more →

Sources & references

BWARS (Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society). Species account: Andrena nigroaenea, with Nomada goodeniana as a cleptoparasite. bwars.com.
Falk, S. Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland, Bloomsbury, notes for Andrena nigroaenea (size, plain coloration, aggregation nesting). Steven Falk Flickr collection.
Buglife Bug Directory. Buffish mining bee (Andrena nigroaenea): diet, nesting, hosts Nomada goodeniana and N. marshamella, the Spetchells aggregation and Northern Ireland decline. buglife.org.uk.
Buzz About Bees. Buffish mining bee: nesting habit and finding the host via its nomad cuckoo bees. buzzaboutbees.net.
Wood, T.J. et al. (2025). Buffish Mining Bee Andrena nigroaenea (Kirby, 1802). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (size, phenology, Least Concern assessment).

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