Grey-backed mining bee

Here live grey-backed mining bees

The grey-backed mining bee is a solitary bee, i.e. it lives without a colony of bees. Its habitat is dry sandy soil, which is suitable for digging its nests. These nests are often located near meadows or in clearings where there is sufficient sunlight and food. The grey-backed mining bee lives on nectar and pollen, which it collects mainly from flowering plants such as willows. Meadows promote biodiversity, which increases the variety of food for the bees. Unlike wasps, it shows no interest in human food such as cakes or sweets. As a sting from the willow sand bee would be fatal to itself, it only stings extremely rarely.

The mix of sandy areas and meadows therefore offers the willow sand bee ideal conditions.  As a pollinating insect, the willow sand bee makes a decisive contribution to the health of the ecosystem and is a valuable component of biodiversity.

To support the grey-backed mining bee, wbg Nürnberg is planting various willow species in the Langwasser Süd district. As undisturbed sandy areas are rare in inhabited areas, the rooftops provide an ideal, quiet environment for the bees to breed. In combination with extensive green roofs, these sandy areas can serve as a valuable habitat for wild bees.