@porkpal, I think the ground bees are Velvet Ants. The female is bright red looking like a giant velvet red ant. The male looks very different in that it is yellow and flies. He gets the goodies and brings it to her in the nest underground. We had a lot of them when we had trouble growing our grass. The soil was poor and the Velvet ants just loved them. I don't know if they bite?
