( Andrena sp. )
PHOTO COMMENT
(Fabricius ,1775 )
LOCATION DETAILS
RECOGNITION
BIOLOGY
CREDITS
Eddie Dunbar
Insect Sciences Museum of California
References
| Mining Bees ( Andrena sp. ) | |
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PHOTO COMMENT | |
| IDENTIFICATION | |
| Identification: | Andrena sp. (Fabricius ,1775 ) |
| Common Name: | Mining Bees |
| Life Stage: | (A) adult |
| PHYLOGENY | |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Superorder: | Holometabola |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Family: | Andrenidae |
| Subfamily: | Andreninae |
| Tribe: | Andrenini |
| Genus: | Andrena |
| Taxon Code: | HYM03362 |
| ITIS/TSN: | 154362 |
LOCATION DETAILS | |
| Location Name | |
| Albany Bulb, 1 Buchanan St, Albany | |
| County: | Alameda County |
| ECI Site#: | CA01020000 |
RECOGNITION | |
| Description | |
| Species are often brown to black, but may be reddish, or metallic blue or green. Abdomens bear white abdominal hair bands. Males smaller and more slender than females. Head: The bee faces bear small pale bands of hair emanating from grooves along the inside margins of the eyes. This appears as broad velvety areas between the compound eyes and the antennal bases. Wings: Wings with 3 submarginal cells. Abdomen: Dark with bands of white hair. Males often show a black triangle (the "pygidial plate") at the abdominal apex. Legs: Legs tend to have very long scopal hairs on the hind leg. Identification to species level usually requires an expert. | |
| Body Length | |
| Females: 8-17 mm; males smaller. | |
| Diversity | |
| America, north of Mexico: More than 450 species in 47 subgenera. Worldwide: More than 1,500 species 100 subgenera. Andrena is the largest genus in the family Andrenidae and one of the largest of all bee genera. | |
BIOLOGY | |
| Adults overwinter and emerge in the spring; males precede females. Males of many species fly in large numbers about the tips of tree branches in early spring looking for females. | |
| Nesting Preferences | |
| Mated females begin nest construction; typically a vertical tunnel and small side cells lined with a shiny water-proof secretion. Cells are provisioned with a ball of pollen mixed with nectar, upon which an egg is laid before each cell is sealed. Andrena usually prefer sandy soils for a nesting substrate, near or under shrubs to be protected from heat and frost. | |
| Importance | |
| Andrena are more active than Apis at lower temperatures, and are superior pollinators in colder weather. | |
| Range | |
| Nearly worldwide in distribution. Mostly northern hemisphere; absent from South America and Australia. | |
| Distribution | |
| Mostly northern hemisphere; absent from South America and Australia. | |
| Diversity | |
| America, north of Mexico: More than 450 species in 47 subgenera. Worldwide: More than 1,500 species 100 subgenera. Andrena is the largest genus in the family Andrenidae and one of the largest of all bee genera. | |
| Active Period | |
| Most species fly in spring, but others fly in the summer, autumn, and a few even in winter. | |
CREDITS | |
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Photographer Eddie Dunbar Insect Sciences Museum of California | |
References | |
| Genus Andrena. (https://bugguide.net/node/view/22574). Accessed June 20, 2019. . | |
| ITIS. | |
