Photo: Aiwok / CC BY-SA 4.0
Andrena bicolor
Gwynne's Mining Bee
A small bivoltine mining bee with two generations per year (March–May and June–August). Females have a black head, orange-red thoracic hair, and a reddish-brown abdomen tip with pale hair bands; males are slimmer with darker face hair. It is a generalist (polyleptic) visiting at least 14 plant families, and nests solitarily in bare ground. The cuckoo bee Nomada fabriciana is its brood parasite. Widespread across Europe and common in Switzerland up to 2100 m in the Alps. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).
Species Facts
- Size
- 9–10 mm
- Flight Period
- March to August (bivoltine)
- Nesting
- Ground
- Specialization
- Generalist
- Abundance
- Common
- Family
- Andrenidae
External Sources
This data has been cross-referenced with national sources:
Data Source & Copyright
| Category | Source / Author | License |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Aiwok | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Taxonomy & Distribution | InfoFauna Switzerland | Public data |
| Global Distribution | GBIF | CC BY 4.0 |
Data Quality
Adequate Last audit: 2026-05-22
Completeness: 100%
✓Photo exists✓Traits consistent✓Description quality✓Red List referenced✓Attribution verified
Confidence: 33%
IdentifiabilityLowImage confidenceLowImage qualityMediumTrait coherenceHigh
Risk flags
Hard to identify
Difficult to identify genus (andrena)
