Bee-ware!

We went out to the vegetable garden and there were swarms of what looked like bees. There were dozens and dozens of them but they were not aggressive as our son and I took pictures of them. They were coming and going from bee-sized burrows in the soil that we assume they had made.

A week later, there were noticeably more burrows (they were into a third row) and they seem to be deeper, considering the amount of red clay deposited on the surface. But there were fewer bees seen.

This one is looking at the viewer eye to eye.

Here are some other views.

I sent some pictures to our son, who in turn sent them to an entomologist he knows. His reply was that they  “appear to be members of the family Andrenidae.  This is the largest family of bees with nearly 1200 species in the U.S. alone.” As to whether or not they sting, was not known but  a query was sent to some who specialize in this family of bees. If we hear back, I will certainly share the information.