Digger Bees – Anthophora

The digger bee is a fast flying bee and though there are about 70 species in the United States, only a handful are found in the Northeast.

This solitary bee, as their name implies, digs brood chambers underground.   Like many ground nesting bees, diggers can be found nesting in large aggregations. Some species that nest in hard clay soils loosen the ground by using a mixture of regurgitated nectar and water to make digging easier. Like most ground-nesting bees, they waterproof their nests, digger bees do so with an oily substance.

These bees are generalists and are attracted to a variety of flowers, but with long tongues, they are especially suited to drinking nectar from deep flowers.

More about Digger Bees at the link below:

Digger Bees and the Beardtongue