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Please keep reading for tips on finding the sandstone bee and advice on how to report them.
The Sandstone Bee is widespread but hard to find. This is because it's very specific about where it lives. It needs very weak sandstone to excavate, and it needs water sources nearby that it can use to further weaken the sandstone. They only use vertical sandstone and also prefer to nest on south or east facing walls, because this helps them warm up in the morning.
The nests themselves are found in groups of variable size, from ten to ten thousand! Nests of Anthophora pueblo, the larger excavator, are about a centimeter wide (a little under half an inch). The smaller excavating species, Anthophora peritomae, has nests sized around 5-7 millimeters wide (closer to 1/3 inch). I've also found some smaller nests recently, so please report any sizes you find!
Your report is most valuable if you can include GPS coordinates and pictures of the site.
To get GPS coordinates:
1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Find the area you found the nests.
3. Press on the right part of the map and the coordinates should then pop up at the bottom.
Please keep reading for tips on finding the sandstone bee and advice on how to report them.
The Sandstone Bee is widespread but hard to find. This is because it's very specific about where it lives. It needs very weak sandstone to excavate, and it needs water sources nearby that it can use to further weaken the sandstone. They only use vertical sandstone and also prefer to nest on south or east facing walls, because this helps them warm up in the morning.
The nests themselves are found in groups of variable size, from ten to ten thousand! Nests of Anthophora pueblo, the larger excavator, are about a centimeter wide (a little under half an inch). The smaller excavating species, Anthophora peritomae, has nests sized around 5-7 millimeters wide (closer to 1/3 inch). I've also found some smaller nests recently, so please report any sizes you find!
Your report is most valuable if you can include GPS coordinates and pictures of the site.
To get GPS coordinates:
1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Find the area you found the nests.
3. Press on the right part of the map and the coordinates should then pop up at the bottom.