Andrena frigida, or the frigid mining bee is a mid sized bee 8-12mm in size. It is found all across Canada and the northern US. This is one of the earliest bee species to emerge in spring and they often begin flying before the snow melts. This species relies on early flowering plants such as Cornus, Prunus, Salix. The species is solitary and nests in small underground chambers in the soil that it digs itself. Frigid mining bees are often hard to identify because they show a great deal of characteristic variations within the species. One characteristic that is constant about this bee are the silvery hairs on its back. These pollinators are crucial to native flowering plants that flower very early in the season before other bee species wake from winter dormancy. These bees remain dormant throughout the summer, fall, and winter months underground.