Grey-patched mining bee, Andrena nitida, with a foxy-brown thorax and shiny black abdomen with white side patches

Andrena nitida, the grey-patched mining bee. Pjt56, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Andrena nitida | Mining bee Spring-flying Common in the south Ground-nesting

UK Bee Species

Grey-patched Mining Bee (Andrena nitida)

Andrena nitida (Müller, 1776) · family Andrenidae

The grey-patched mining bee is a large, handsome spring bee: a bright foxy-brown thorax above a polished black abdomen, with neat white patches along the sides that give it its name. Common in lawns and grassland across southern Britain, it is a gentle, generalist pollinator of spring blossom. See where it sits among Britain's bees on the UK Native Bee Species Map, or among the world's bees in the World Bee Atlas.

Quick Facts

Common nameGrey-patched mining bee

Scientific nameAndrena nitida

AuthorityMüller, 1776

FamilyAndrenidae (mining bees)

UK statusCommon in southern Britain

Size8.5 to 12.5 mm; female larger

ActiveLate March to mid-July

NestingTurf and lawns; well-dispersed

ForagePolylectic; blackthorn, dandelion

Northern limitAbout Yorkshire

Possible cuckooGooden's nomad bee

TemperamentDocile, very rarely stings

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

Foxy thorax, polished abdomen, grey patches

The grey-patched mining bee is a large Andrena, with females a little bigger than a honeybee at up to about 12.5 mm.^[3] Fresh females have a dense, bright foxy-brown pile on top of the thorax that contrasts sharply with a shiny black abdomen.^[1] The English name comes from neat patches of white hairs along the sides of the first three abdominal segments, which catch the light as soft grey blocks.^[2] The face may be black-haired or largely white-haired. Males are smaller and slimmer, with a bright orange thorax, a shiny black abdomen with sparse white bands, and a mostly white-haired face.^[2]

The grey on the sides is the clue

Against the polished black abdomen, the pale side-patches read as grey blocks, and they separate this bee from look-alikes such as Andrena thoracica, which has a darker thorax and entirely black-haired legs and abdomen.^[2]

Where it lives and what it visits

This is one of the commoner mining bees of southern Britain, frequent through the south and Midlands and thinning out towards Yorkshire, its most northerly county.^[1][4] It flies from late March to mid-July, peaking in spring, in open grassland, gardens, lawns and pasture.^[3] Unusually for a mining bee it shows no strong preference for bare ground, nesting among short to medium turf, and its nests are always well-dispersed rather than packed into aggregations.^[1] It is a generalist forager, found high up on blackthorn blossom and low down on dandelions alike.^[1]

A foxy thorax over a mirror-black abdomen, flecked with grey: one of the handsomest of our spring mining bees.

The bright black-and-yellow Gooden's nomad bee is thought to parasitise the grey-patched mining bee, as it does several of its close relatives. Seeing the cuckoo patrolling turf in spring can point to a host nest nearby.^[1]

Lifecycle

Like all mining bees the grey-patched mining bee is solitary: after mating, each female digs her own burrow in turf, lines a series of cells, and stocks each with a pollen and nectar store for a single larva.^[5] The young develop underground and emerge the following spring. Because the bees nest dispersed through grassland rather than in dense banks, a garden lawn may host several without any obvious colony, the bees coming and going quietly among the grass.

Source conflict

This bee has a tangled naming history. It has long been confused with Andrena pubescens, and there has been considerable debate over which name is correct for this distinctive spring species; older records under either name should be read with care. There is also doubt over the validity of some Irish and Scottish records at the edge of its range.^[1]

Why it matters

The grey-patched mining bee is a common, effective pollinator of spring blossom and a striking bee to find in an ordinary lawn. Because it nests quietly through turf rather than in obvious banks, it is easy to overlook and easy to lose to tidy mowing and habitat change. Letting lawns and grassland flower, and tolerating a little spring blossom and dandelion, gives this handsome mining bee the space it needs.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I identify a grey-patched mining bee?

Look in spring for a large mining bee with a bright foxy-brown thorax over a shiny black abdomen, marked with neat white patches along the sides that look grey in the light. The most similar species, Andrena thoracica, has a darker thorax and entirely black-haired legs and abdomen.

Why is it called grey-patched?

Because of the patches of white hairs on the sides of the first three abdominal segments. Against the polished black abdomen these read as soft grey blocks, and they are the bee's most useful field mark.

When is it active?

It flies from late March to mid-July, with a clear spring peak. It is one of the commoner large mining bees of gardens and grassland in that season.

Where does it nest?

In short to medium turf, including lawns and pasture. Unusually for a mining bee it shows no strong preference for bare ground, and its nests are well-dispersed rather than clustered, so it is easy to overlook.

Is it found across the UK?

It is common throughout southern Britain and the Midlands, becoming scarcer towards Yorkshire, its most northerly known county. Some older Irish and Scottish records are considered doubtful.

Does a cuckoo bee use it?

It is thought that Gooden's nomad bee parasitises the grey-patched mining bee, as it does several related Andrena. The nomad lays its eggs in the host's nest, where its grub eats the stored food.

Do grey-patched mining bees sting?

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

Does the grey-patched 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

Buffish Mining Bee

Andrena nigroaeneaRead more → Mining bee

Tawny Mining Bee

Andrena fulvaRead more → Mining bee

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena cinerariaRead more →

Sources & references

BWARS (Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society). Species account: Andrena nitida, identification, dispersed nesting, distribution, the nitida/pubescens naming history and possible cuckoo Nomada goodeniana. bwars.com.
Falk, S. Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland, Bloomsbury, notes for Andrena nitida (female and male characters, grey side-patches, separation from A. thoracica). Steven Falk Flickr collection.
Nature accounts after Falk: size (8.5 to 12.5 mm), flight period and nesting in turf, lawns and pasture (Pete Hillman / Nature Journeys species profile).
NatureSpot. Andrena nitida (grey-patched mining bee): habitat, flight period and distribution to its northern limit. naturespot.org.
Crowley, L.M. & Badham, X.R. et al. (2025). The genome sequence of the Grey-patched Mining Bee, Andrena nitida (Müller, 1776). Wellcome Open Research 10:573 (taxonomy and biology).

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