Craig.Taylor
Ashy mining bee / Andrena cineraria
Not only another, another bee :), but it is another miner bee. This time with a funky white haircut and matching beard. As far as I am aware this bee is a A. cineraria, it didn’t have a thick black band of fur on the thorax and I live a little bit too far north in the UK for it to be a vega. It’s amazing how just 300 miles is enough to change the climate to the point where one species can thrive and a very similar species struggles to live. This image is a stack of a prepared specimen, 40 frames in total at a 3:1 magnification ratio.
Update : I have had the ID confirmed, it is indeed A. cineraria
Ashy mining bee / Andrena cineraria
Not only another, another bee :), but it is another miner bee. This time with a funky white haircut and matching beard. As far as I am aware this bee is a A. cineraria, it didn’t have a thick black band of fur on the thorax and I live a little bit too far north in the UK for it to be a vega. It’s amazing how just 300 miles is enough to change the climate to the point where one species can thrive and a very similar species struggles to live. This image is a stack of a prepared specimen, 40 frames in total at a 3:1 magnification ratio.
Update : I have had the ID confirmed, it is indeed A. cineraria