This black bee is about half an inch long and it has fuzzy yellow hair on the thorax and translucent black wings. The adults feed on nectar and are usually found in July and August. The female digs a long branching tunnel in the ground. At the end of each branch she builds a cell which contains an egg as well as nectar and a ball of pollen on which the larva can survive the winter. Mining bees are important pollinators and their pollen brush covers most of the hind leg.