Mystery bee in pumpkin patch

Question

Today, I saw a black-colored bee, burrowing into the dirt, at the base of my pumpkin plants. It is NOT a Squash Vine Borer (I know what these look like). This looks very much like a black-colored bee… Any thoughts?

Answer 1

This could be a Mining Bee.
Mining bees range in size from that of a Honey bee to a considerably smaller bee. The larger bees are furry and darker than Honey bees while some are brightly striped, and others are a shiny metallic green color. These bees are not aggressive and will rarely sting. In fact, these bees are extremely beneficial since they are very important to the population of a wide variety of plants.