Photo: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab / Public domain
Andrena subopaca
Impunctate Mini-Mining Bee
One of the smallest Andrena species (5–7 mm), with a dull, finely sculptured black body and sparse whitish hair. It is a generalist (polylectic) forager visiting flowers from at least 5 plant families including Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Ranunculaceae. It nests in self-excavated burrows in bare or sparsely vegetated soil, often in small aggregations. It is bivoltine in warmer areas, flying from March to June and again from July to August. In Switzerland it is very common and widespread from lowlands to 1600 m in the Alps, found in forest edges, dry meadows, parks, and gardens. It is one of the most frequently encountered mining bees in Central Europe. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).
Species Facts
- Size
- 5–7 mm
- Flight Period
- March 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 | USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab | Public domain |
| Taxonomy & Distribution | InfoFauna Switzerland | Public data |
| Global Distribution | GBIF | CC BY 4.0 |
Data Quality
Completeness: 100%
Confidence: 33%
Difficult to identify genus (andrena)
