Photo: Gilles San Martin / CC BY-SA 2.0

Sphecodes albilabris

Giant Blood Bee

The largest Sphecodes species (11–14 mm), with a robust black body, red abdomen extending to the tip, and dark-tinted wings. Males have distinctive white hairs on the lower face. It is a cleptoparasite of Colletes cunicularius, laying eggs in its host's nests. It occurs in sandy habitats and is found in Switzerland in warm lowland areas with sandy soils, especially along rivers and in sand pits. Females fly from March to August, males from July to October. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).