Photo: Lucy Pocock / CC BY
Andrena minutula
Common Mini-Mining Bee
One of the smallest Andrena species in Switzerland (5–7 mm), with a black, sparsely haired body and whitish pollen brushes and facial foveae. It is a generalist (polyleptic) foraging from at least 11 plant families including Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, and Salicaceae. It is bivoltine with two generations per year (April–May and June–August). It nests solitarily in self-excavated burrows in bare soil banks, path edges, and sparsely vegetated ground. It is a very common and widespread species in Switzerland, found in gardens, meadows, forest edges, and ruderal areas from lowlands to montane elevations. Its cuckoo bee is Nomada flavoguttata. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).
Species Facts
- Size
- 5–7 mm
- Flight Period
- April to August (bivoltine)
- Nesting
- Ground
- Specialization
- Generalist
- Abundance
- Very common
- Family
- Andrenidae
External Sources
This data has been cross-referenced with national sources:
Data Source & Copyright
| Category | Source / Author | License |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Lucy Pocock | CC BY |
| Taxonomy & Distribution | InfoFauna Switzerland | Public data |
| Global Distribution | GBIF | CC BY 4.0 |
Data Quality
Completeness: 100%
Confidence: 33%
Difficult to identify genus (andrena)
