Please help me identify this bee

sjt · Jun 29, 2018

About 100 of this type of bee have recently been found on the balcony and just inside a second floor flat in Sussex. Can anyone help me identify it?

madasafish · Jun 29, 2018

sjt said:
About 100 of this type of bee have recently been found on the balcony and just inside a second floor flat in Sussex. Can anyone help me identify it?

Looks like a small virgin queen in that pic.. but wdik?

brianmc · Jun 29, 2018

sjt said:
About 100 of this type of bee have recently been found on the balcony and just inside a second floor flat in Sussex. Can anyone help me identify it?

Female Andrena Wilkella?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/sets/72157639396785955/

masterBK · Jun 29, 2018

Andrena certainly but I think it may be A. tibilais lor A. ovatula

kazmcc · Jun 29, 2018

Not Andrena wilkella or ovatula, no hair bands. Flight period is wrong for A tibialis and the underlying tibia are dark in this bee, not orange. My feel is it could be a very faded A nigroaenea with the dark tip to the abdomen but I would be happier with a bit more detail such as where found, when exactly and I'd also be happier with a side view as well as a facial shot. Andrena nigroaenea is known to have a second brood in some parts so I'm saying a tentative A nigroaenea but I can get Stuart Roberts from The Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society to take a look if you like to say for certain

Edit: thinking about it how big was it? Honeybee size or much smaller?

sjt · Jul 2, 2018

They were found during the last two weeks of June, 2nd floor flat balcony, about 30 dead ones twice, a couple of days apart and one or two found other days. These were found in Rottingdean on the South Coast, a few miles from Brighton. They are very slightly smaller than a honey bee. I was only given dead ones and they were rather fragile so no side views unfortunately.
If any more are found I'll see if I can add some more photos.
The elderly gentleman who lives in the flat was mainly concerned that they could be my bees which are hived not far away. He thought he might have done something to harm them.