mining bees

(Andrena spp.)

Overview
mining bee (Andrena sp.)
Photo by Babette Kis
 

Andrena is one of the largest genera of bees in the world. There are more than 1,500 species in 100 subgenera worldwide, 450 species in 47 subgenera in North America north of Mexico, and at least 68 species in 21 subgenera in Minnesota.

Andrena are cold tolerant, occurring at high altitudes and into Alaska and northern Canada. They are among the first bees to fly in the spring, before flowers bloom and even before the snow melts. They nest in the ground. The female excavates a long vertical tunnel with short side cells into which she places singleeggs. Some Andrena are generalist feeders, others specialize on a single genus or species.

 
           
 
Description
 
 

Andrena is a small to medium-sized, lightly fuzzy bee. Adults are 516 to (8 to 17 mm) long.

The face is nearly oval-shaped, wider than long. The compound eyes are nearly vertical and the inner margins are parallel. Beside each compound eye there is a facial groove (fovea) with a dense band of pale hairs. Below the base of each antenna there are two grooves (subantennal sutures), but these are not visible without a microscope. The tongues are short.

On the wings the marginal cell, on the leading margin near the wingtip, is relatively long and has a rounded tip. Next to the marginal cell there are three submarginal cells. The second submarginal cell is much shorter than the other two.

At the base of each hind leg there is a tuft of long, thick, pollen-collecting hairs (scopa).

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  10/7/2022      
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)  
 

Infraorder

Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)  
 

Superfamily

Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)  
  Epifamily Anthophila (bees)  
 

Family

Andrenidae (mining bees)  
 

Subfamily

Andreninae (typical mining bees)  
 

Tribe

Andrenini  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Subgenus Andrena

Subgenus Callandrena

Subgenus Cnemidandrena

Subgenus Conandrena

Subgenus Euandrena

Subgenus Gonandrena

Subgenus Holandrena

Subgenus Larandrena

Subgenus Leucandrena

Subgenus Melandrena

Subgenus Micrandrena

Subgenus Opandrena

Subgenus Parandrena

Subgenus Plastandrena

Subgenus Ptilandrena

Subgenus Rhacandrena

Subgenus Scrapteropsis

Subgenus Simandrena

Subgenus Taeniandrena

Subgenus Thysandrena

Subgenus Trachandrena

Subgenus Tylandrena

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Melittoides

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

andrenine bees

miner bees

mining bees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Alfredo Colon

 
    mining bee (Andrena sp.)   mining bee (Andrena sp.)  
 

Babette Kis

 
 

Andrena sp. mining bee

Barnes Prairie hedgerow with spring wildflowers, Racine Co., WI photos taken May 20, 2021.

  mining bee (Andrena sp.)  
           
    mining bee (Andrena sp.)   mining bee (Andrena sp.)  
 

Dan W. Andree

 
 

First bee I had seen this season and this early.

 
    mining bee (Andrena sp.)      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Mining Bees
Andree Reno Sanborn
 
  Mining Bees  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Mining Bee Andrena nesting
UMN Extension - Yard and Garden
 
   
 
About

Nov 30, 2017

This video is a collection of video clips documenting nesting habitat of mining bees (Andrena spp.).

The purpose of this video is to give the viewer ideas of where to look for mining bee nests on their own property. Knowing the location gives one the ability to protect and avoid disturbing the nesting site, and potentially expanding it based on characteristics of a location already chosen by the bees.

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Alfredo Colon
6/2/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

mining bee (Andrena sp.)  
  Babette Kis
5/20/2021

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Barnes Prairie hedgerow with spring wildflowers, Racine Co., WI photos taken May 20, 2021.

mining bee (Andrena sp.)  
  Dan W. Andree
4/10/2021

Location: Norman Co., Mn.

First bee I had seen this season and this early.

mining bee (Andrena sp.)

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 4/26/2021

Last Updated:

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