Have we solved the hole in grass puzzle?

Tiny holes which puzzled a Shropshire woman after she spotted them in her garden are the work of Tawny Mining bees, it was claimed today.

The holes appeared in the garden of Dianna Young, from Dawley in Telford, and have been causing a buzz among Shropshire Star readers ever since. John Davies, from Crickheath near Oswestry, said the holes would have been created by the Tawny Mining bee, which burrow up from under the soil.

"They live in the soil and they come out at this time of year," he said.

"They are very good pollinators and they have been hatching out of my lawn for about a fortnight. They burrow to the top and come out.

"You can watch them pollinating all of your plants and sometimes if they come to the top of the lawn and they see you, they suddenly go back inside."

The ginger-coloured bee is common in gardens and keen gardeners could see several of them nesting in their lawns each year without knowing what they were - until now.

The small volcano-type mounds appear in early spring because the female digs the holes in the ground to provide a safe nesting place where they can lay their eggs.

The next set of bees then emerge the following year. They are different from honey bees because they do not work in big groups.

Pat Lewis, from Callaughton, near Much Wenlock, said: "We have had some in our village. We had them all over the place and it's only for a matter of days before they are gone again.

"I had to stop a neighbour because she was going to pour boiling water down the hole because she thought it was ants.

"Bees are very important and they are to be encouraged because they are pretty little things and they are good at pollinating.

"It is a privilege to see them around the village."

Male Tawny Mining bees are smaller than the females and do not get involved in the nest building.

The bees are said to be harmless and do not sting.

By Jason Lavan