Summer Chafer vs Ashy Mining Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Summer Chafer Ashy Mining Bee
Scientific Name Amphimallon solstitiale Andrena cineraria
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Andrenidae
Size 14-18mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Root Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Summer Chafer

A medium-sized golden-brown chafer that swarms at dusk around midsummer. It crashes clumsily into people and walls.

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Did You Know?

Named for its habit of swarming around the summer solstice, filling warm June evenings with buzzing flight.

Ashy Mining Bee

A striking black and grey solitary bee with silvery-white hair bands on its thorax. It nests in compacted soil and is one of the first bees to appear in spring.

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Did You Know?

Large aggregations of hundreds of nest holes can appear suddenly on garden lawns in April.