mining bee

British

noun

a solitary bee of the genera Andrena and Halictus, which sometimes resemble honey bees

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mining bee

named from their burrowing habits

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The insects were identified as Andrena regularis, commonly called the "regular mining bee," a solitary wild bee species that nests underground and helps pollinate crops and wild plants.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023