The bee's knees?

[Daston]

Hey guys,

Was out feeding the fish yesterday and noticed a bee hovering about the pond (its a fibreglass one set into the earth) the bee then landed and went down a gap between the pond and the earth.

I thought nothing of it until today, where I spotted 2 bees loaded with nectar also heading down the same gap and a 3rd bee coming up. They seem docile enough and clearly aren't bothered by me feeding the fish and sorting the netting out etc.

However what stuck me was they don't look like your normal bumble bee (ie big and fluffy) they look more like honey bees (more stream lined).

Any thoughts, is it safe to leave them there or will they cause issues and take a dislike to us messing near their nest?

[evilmunkey]

sounds like miner bees to me. you get various types. honey bees, bumblebees, mortar bees that live in solitary burrows in brick work and mining bees that like being in the ground. All of them are harmless and unagressive if you just let them get on with buzzing about.

[ben5732]

Yeah sounds like a miner bee. Got them where we live currently and never had any issues with them can sit tight next to their 'nest' and they've never bothered with me so I've left them to it. We had bumblebees last year aswell and they where pretty much the same laid back as hell to the point they'd land on you then fly off a minute or two later.

[Nimby]

Daston said:

... I spotted 2 bees loaded with nectar

I think you mean pollen unless you have x-ray vision!

Mining bees are just starting to emerge and become active now. They are fascinating and harmless.

[evilmunkey]

ive had mortar bees for the last 2 years. they dont harm and happily go about there business without bothering us . never been stung in fact i think i am correct in saying that miner and mortar bees dont have a sting that can penetrate skin, this is from leeds city councils pest control service. http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/bees.pdf

[TeaNoSugar]

Miner bees are no bother. My parents garden has a hive (or is it a burrow?) at one end and they don't seem to bother about anything, just collecting their food and then flying back into their "burrow". My dad has put some bamboo canes in the ground around their holes to avoid accidentally digging up the nest. I'm sure they've been in the same place a number of different years as well.