Photo: Ian Ballam / CC BY

Andrena humilis

Humble Mining Bee

A medium-sized mining bee (10–12 mm) with a distinctive golden-yellow hair covering on the last two tergites, giving the abdomen tip a warm orange appearance. Females have a brownish thorax and dark hind tibiae (unlike the pale-legged Andrena fulvago). Males have a yellow clypeus. It is oligolectic on yellow-flowered Asteraceae, especially hawk's-beard (Crepis), dandelions (Taraxacum), and cat's-ear (Hypochaeris). It nests solitarily in bare, firm, often sandy soils exposed to the sun, sometimes in small aggregations. In Switzerland it is found in dry meadows, ruderal areas, and field margins from lowlands to montane elevations, and is locally plentiful where its food plants occur. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).