Bug FAQLong-lipped Miner
Andrena barbilabris · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Andrenidae
Also called: Barb-lipped Miner, Bearded Miner Bee, Long-lipped Andrena, Long-lipped Mining Bee
The bearded miner bee is about 11 mm long; females have reddish-brown hairs on the thorax while males appear silvery because of long pale hairs. Adults fly from March to July, foraging mainly on willows and many other flowers. Females dig underground nests, create pollen-nectar balls, lay a single egg on each, and seal the cells.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females have rufous hairs on the back of the thorax contrasting with yellower hairs on the sides and head; males look silvery due to long pale thoracic hairs, and the body is mostly black with a narrow, hunch-backed head.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The species is typically around 11 mm long, with males being smaller and more slender than females.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults forage on many flower types, preferring willows.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Males and females emerge from underground cells in early spring, mate, and females then dig nesting burrows where they provision cells with pollen-nectar balls, lay one egg per cell, and seal them.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from March through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs in Europe, northern Asia (excluding China), and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Alaska, Michigan, California, Utah, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do bearded miner bees look like?
Females have reddish-brown thoracic hairs and males appear silvery due to long pale hairs; both have a mostly black body and a narrow, hunch-backed head.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are bearded miner bees found?
They are native to Europe, northern Asia (excluding China), and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Andrenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrena_barbilabris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.