SIR - I am e-mailing you about the picture of the bee on your letters (April 27), taken by Kevin Loader.

The picture may well be that of a female tawny mining bee.

These are solitary bees which build their own individual nests in the ground, usually a small mound of soil which has been excavated from the nest site forms the entrance to the nest.

These bees are quite harmless and short lived but play a vital role in pollination of plants.

N Probert, Verminator Pest Control, Worcester.