شناسایی Wasps, Sawflies, Ants and Bees (Hymenoptera)

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Introduction to Wasps, Sawflies, Ants and Bees (Hymenoptera)

Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Bees, sawflies, wasps and ants are close relatives, for they all belong to the Hymenoptera. In this group most of the insects living socially can be found. These animals live in large or small colonies. These colonies are build around a central animal, called the queen. In many cases her task is limited to laying eggs. Ants are very small and often live in the ground in huge colonies. Do not mix them up with termites. These small insects that also live in colonies, usually reside in rotting wood and are not related to ants at all. In colonies of termites we always find a king besides the queen. In ants the males live for a few hours only and are part of the swarms we sometimes see leaving the nest. After mating with a queen they die. Most hymenoptera, except for ants, are winged all their lives once adult. The difference between wasps, sawflies and ants on the one hand and bees on the other are the hairs. Bees are very hairy animals, while to the ***** eye the others are bald.

Wasps and ants, like the Cuckoo Bee to the right are hairless to the ***** eye, while Bees are hairy and Bumble Bees, like the Common Carder Bee to the right, are extremely hairy.

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Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Over 100,000 species of Hymenoptera are known to man. However many species are very small indeed, so scientists expect to find more species in the future. Hymenoptera have two pairs of wings. The wings are connected to oneanother by little hooks situated on the front wings. The hind wings are always a lot smaller than the front wings. The head of many of the Hymenoptera, especially the head of the Sawflies, rather give the impression to be square. On top of their head most hymenoptera have three so-called ocelli, primitive eyes that can only detect light and dark. The veins in the wings often make square like figures, a feature never found in the wings of other insects. Many wasps, like the yellowjackets or social wasps are constantly hunting for other insects. Even though they sometimes feed on these preys, usually all adult Hymenoptera are vegetarians, using the meat feeding their larvae only. The adults themselves mainly live on nectar, pollen, rotting fruit etc. The ants are the exception here: they eat both: green stuff and meat of all kinds. Hymenoptera go through all possible insect stages: egg-larva-pupa-adult. Most people think that opening an ants nest usually reveals the eggs. But it is more likely it's the pupae the animals are transporting deeper into the nest.

The larvae of both the Bee Wolf to the left and the Red Wasp to the right are fed with prey the adults catch. The adults themselves however are mainly vegetarians.

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Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Hymenoptera are comprised of two groups od rather different animals: sawflies (Symphyta) and Wasps (Apocrita). Sawflies do look like flies, for they lack the constricted waist so typical of wasps. Often female sawflies have a long, clearly visible ovipositor used to deposit the eggs. This ovipositor looks like a little saw, hence the name of the group. The saw is used to cut into the stem or leaves of plants. The eggs are then deposited inside this cut. Most sawflies are big, robust animals. Because of their constriction and their size (many wasps are really small) the Apocrita always give a more vulnerable impression. Many of them have a visible ovipositor as well, but it is always long, thin and straight. The difference between the larvae of the two groups is also considerable. Sawflie larvae have to find all their food themselves. They are active and strong animals, fully developed with feet and everything, often looking very much like caterpillars, all of them being vegetarians. The larvae of the wasps are less developed, less active and in need of protection. And that is exactly what happens: their mothers do take good care of them, either by bringing them up inside a colonie, or bij providing them with a sheltered place and food to grow up in. Well known examples are the nests constructed by the social wasps or ants, or the small nests made by mason bees or digger wasps in the ground. Some small wasps deposit their eggs in plants, forcing the plant to produce a gall in which the larvae is more or less safe. The parasitic wasps simply lay their egg inside a host, which is then eaten from the inside by the larva.

The larvae of sawflies, like the ones to the left, have to make it on their own, while wasps often make nests in which the larvae are protected, like the nest of the Saxon wasp to your right.

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Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Most wasplike insects belong to the true wasps. This group is divided into two subgroups: the parasitic wasps, which do not sting, for they don't have one and the ones that are capable of stinging, like the social wasps, the bees and the ants. During the evolution though in many species the sting has become obsolete. The Red Wood Ant for instance is no longer able to sting. For its protection it bites. Immediately after the bite it sprays formic acid into the wound and that's what causing all the pain! More primitive ants, like the small Red Ant found in many gardens, are still able to sting painfully. Some stings, like the Honeybees, are barbed. In many cases the sting remains in the attackers body and that is why bees can only sting once and then die. All bee species, being strict vegetarians only use the sting to defend themselves, even though many have unbarbed stings. Wasps always have unbarbed stings. Thus they can sting you as many times as they like. They not only use their sting to defend themselves. They also attack other insects. These are killed or paralysed and used to feed the larvae. Wasps and bees are dangerous to most other animals. That is why they have striking colours, yellow and black or white and black mainly. This is to deter all other animals from eating them. Many animals, not possessing a sting at all, imitate wasps. Their enemies leave them alone as well. Harmless flies, such as many hover flies, have wasp or bee like colourings. Take for instance Volucella bombyland below: it is the spitting image of a bumble bee.

To the left the harmless hover fly and to the right the Garden Bumble Bee, which can give you a painful sting.

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Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

Introduction to wasplike insects (Hymenoptera)

There are three groups of stinging wasps: the actual wasps, the bees and the ants. Actually the real difference between these groups is the food offered to the larvae. Wasp larvae are carnivores. Their mothers catch all kind of insects, which are transported to the nest. Bee larvae are strict vegetarians. Their mothers collect pollen and nectar for them to eat while growing up. Like their parents ant larvae are omnivorous: they will eat everything.Once adult almost all wasps and all bees are vegetarians. You can however also tell the difference by looking at the animals: wasps and ants are hairless to the ***** eye, while bees are hairy animals. Wasps are winged all their lives, ants may be winged for a couple of hours, but usually are wingless.

Wingless ants don't look like a wasp very much, but the winged individuals do.

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

You might be surprised that ants belong to this group of flying insects. Several times a year though the ants do actually fly. The animals that take off are males and young queens. After impregnation which takes place hight up in the air the males die and the queens try to find a place to start a new colony. The ants you normally see, hurrying from who-knows-where to who-wants-to-know-where are workers. These never get wings. In most European gardens you will see the (Common) Black Ant (also known as Slave Ant or Silky Ant in the USA). It is a close relative of the well known Red Wood Ant.

To the left: probably a winged queen of the Southern (or Red) Wood Ant (Formica rufa). To the right: Even the Black Ant (Formica fusca) develops winged specimens.

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

Closely related to the Black Ant is the Yellow Meadow Ant, often simply referred to as Yellow Ant. It too forms large colonies, but it prefers grass in which it makes small heaps. It leaves mainly underground and is seldom seen running about in the garden like the Black Ant.

This is most probably the Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus).

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

Below is another yellow species. It resembles the species above, but definitely is not: the connection between the two main body parts is definetely different. This indicates that it is a Myrmica-species, most probably Myrmica rubra, the Red Ant, also called the European Red Ant. It has got a functional sting and the stings even hurt, for an acid is injected into the victim.

Another colourful species in our garden: most likely to be the Red Ant (Myrmica rubra).

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

The best known ant in all Britain probably is the Black Garden Ant. The name is slightly misleading, for many individuals are dark brown rather than black. This species is present even in the tiniest garden, where it builds its underground nest along paths or under steps, sidewalks or even walls. It is an omnivorous animal. It will attack and kill other small insects, but will also take small cadavers, parts of plants, fungi or seeds into the nest. They love the honeydew produced by plant lice and will even actively milk the lice to get even more. As a reward they will protect the aphids from small natural enemies, such as lady birds. Workers and males are some 3 to 5 mm in lenth, queens measure up to 9 mm. Queens can be seen in summer, when the ants start to swarm. Being stingless they will bite people in defense, but are hardly ever able to really penetrate the skin. Their bites usually only cause a ticklish sensation.

The Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger) probably is the most common species all over Britain.

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

Ants often live in very big colonies, called states. One colony may have millions of members, especially with tropical species. Keeping such a large colony in good working order a lot has to be done. And that's why various types of ants exist within the colony: the queen, that produces the eggs, workers that collect food and look after the young, soldiers that protect the colony and finally males. Sometimes there are even various types of workers: with big heads to transport food, with small heads to look after the young. Some are constantly on the look for new food sources (they are called scouts).

A simple flower is an entire world of its own to a tiny ant.

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Ants (Formicidae)

Ants (Formicidae)

There are animals that do actually live inside an ant colony. Just turn over some rocks and you might find not only the Black Garden Ant, but the white and blind Ant Woodlouse as well. Also some species of beetles live inside ant's nests

The Ant Woodlouse (Platyarthrus hoffmannseggi) quickly disappears in the nest of Lasius niger, the Black Garden Ant.

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Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Honeybee Apis mellifera

Of course everybody knows the Honey Bee, that little creature that brings us mother nature's sweet surprise... With Bumble Bees and social wasps only the queen hibernates, the rest of the colony dies in fall. Bees however stay together as a colony in winter. And that's why they produce honey: to get themselves through winter. Honeybees are among the best studied insects in the world. You can find many, many books about them and there is a lot of information on the internet too. So we limit the information about the Honeybee on this page.

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Red Mason Bee Osmia rufa

Red Mason Bee Osmia rufa

Red Mason Bee Osmia rufa

The following little bee appeared in our garden in April 2000 for the first time. It keeps on returning ever since. It is smaller than the Honey Bee, with striking yellow hairs, even on the legs. During the night and when the weather is bad it stays in a small cavity in our shed. It hides there in a small group of some 8 animals. As soon as the sun returns, they fly away. It is the Red Mason Bee, also known as the Red Solitary Bee. To the left you see a male. The females, depicted to the right, have black rather than white hairs on the face. There are some 20 species of Mason Bees in the Benelux.

The Red Mason Bee is also referred to as the Red Solitary Bee. In the USA Mason Bees are often called Orchard Bees.

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Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens

Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens

Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens

Mason Bees nest in small holes in wood, e.g. unused beetleholes in trunks, hollow stems etc. The female deposits her egg, adds food for the larvae, builds a small wall and creates the next chamber, where she will deposit the next egg. The Blue Mason Bee is quite common. However it never appears in great numbers and is on the wing later than the Red Mason Bee. By then there are plenty pollinators around, so the Blue Mason Bee is less useful in agriculture.

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Osmia niveata

Osmia niveata

Osmia niveata

The Mason Bee depicted at this page is much smaller than the Blue and Red Mason Bees are. We have had it in our garden regularly in 2002, but only when the plant you see it in flowers. We have never seen it make a nest in our garden, so probably it's only here to feed. Thanks to Jeroen de Rond we now know that this most probably is Osmia niveata. The smaller Osmia species are very hard to tell apart, though.

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Leafcutter Bee Megachile species

Leafcutter Bee Megachile species

Leafcutter Bee Megachile species

There are about 16 species of leafcutting bees in Belgium and about 13 in Holland. Their body is much more flexible than that of other bees. They can fold it in such a way that their rear end with the sting is at the same position as the head is! Another feature that distinguishes them from other bees is a kind of hairy brush under their body. This brush helps to carry pollen from plant to plant, thus making leafcutting bees perfect pollinators. They are even used in the greenhouses for pollinating. One type of leafcutting bees is being exported to greenhouses in Australia for the culture of alfalfa. Their nests are built underground or in old beetle holes in wood. The bees cut out pieces of leaves and take these into their nests to to build nursery compartments. Some bees make 10 or even more nursery compartments in each hallway. The leafcutting bees in our garden are very small and we have not yet determined which species it actually is.

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Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis male

Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis male

Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis

Just like Bumble Bees suffer from the presence of Cuckoo Bumble Bees, many other bees know such parasites as well. Mining Bees suffer from Wasp Bees. These bees resemble wasps very much, have the striking yellow yellow and black stripes, but they are actually bees. They deposit their eggs in the nest of a mining bee and when their larvae grow up they kill the mining bee's larvae in the process. The species below is parasitic on the Early Mining Bee. On flowers the males are often seen, the females seldom. They are often seen flying low, looking for the holes of nesting mining bees. Compared to the females the males are considerably smaller and much hairier. Even though we think the bees in the pictures are Common Wasp Bees, we are not absolutely sure. Wasp Bees, especially the males, are very hard to identify both in the field and from pictures.

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Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis

Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis

Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis

Just like Bumble Bees suffer from the presence of Cuckoo Bumble Bees, many other bees know such parasites as well. Mining Bees suffer from Wasp Bees. These bees resemble wasps very much, have the striking yellow yellow and black stripes, but they are actually bees. They deposit their eggs in the nest of a mining bee and when their larvae grow up they kill the mining bee's larvae in the process. The species below is parasitic on the Early Mining Bee. On flowers the males are often seen, the females seldom. They are often seen flying low, looking for the holes of nesting mining bees. Compared to the females the males are considerably smaller and much hairier. Even though we think the bees in the pictures are Common Wasp Bees, we are not absolutely sure. Wasp Bees, especially the males, are very hard to identify both in the field and from pictures.

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Lasioglossum ***strigatum

Lasioglossum ***strigatum

Lasioglossum ***strigatum

Some solitary bees are as big as honey bees. There are however many much smaller species, most of them are look-a-likes and almost impossible to identify. The Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum) are represented by some 40 species in the Benelux alone. All are quite small. Most Andrena species have a weak stinger and many can not even penetrate the human skin. But even the smallest Lasioglossum species has a strong stinger and their sting is quite painful. Andrena species are solitary bees even despite their sharing a common entrance to a nest sometimes. Among the Lasioglossum species however we find more advanced ways of cooperation. In some species a female might live longer than just one year. Females born in the beginning of the second year may start to help their mother rather than beginning a nest of themselves. There is not much structure in such a cooperation. Other species however have real colonies which are comparible to those of the social wasps. With one species the colony even lives five to six years, because the queen gets that old. The species in the picture is a very rare visitor to our garden so we have seen it merely thrice. Possibly it is not that uncommon but we have been unaware of its presence because of its size. It is the smallest bee we ever had in the garden, about the size of an ant. By the way: it is likely to be Lasioglossum ***strigatum, but we are not absolutely sure. Sweat Bees are very hard to identify to species level.

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Mining Bees Andrena species

Mining Bees Andrena species

Mining Bees Andrena species

Another big group of European bees: the mining bees, genus Andrena. Most of them belong to the genus Andrena. In moderate zones this genus is represented by well over 100 species. The status of many species in Britain is unsure. The estimations run from 60 to 80 species, with quite a number of endangered species. Mining bees are very hairy bees, often reminding one of bumblebees and carderbees, but they are much slimmer and usually their hairs are a bit shorter. The genus contains variable species in size. Some reach an impressive 16 mm, many others don't even reach 4 or 5 mm. Often telling the various species apart is not an easy task. Especially the midget mining bees, belonging to the subgenus Micrandrena can only be identified by experts, who study their genitals. But larger species are difficult to tell apart as well. Males often differ considerably from females and frequently are each other's spitting image. Males also differ less in size from oneanother and are usually smaller than the females. Some species are quite variable and older specimens may have lost many of their hairs, causing the loss of their characteristic colouring as well. These may even look like bees from other groups! All females have a bundle of hairs on the first part of the leg to collect pollen. Mining bees do not live in colonies. They live a solitary life. But in many cases females tolerate other females digging a hole right next door, giving a colony like impression. In some species females even share the same entrance, even though, underground, each makes its own chambers. As you might conclude from the name Mining Bees build their nest by making mines in the ground, preferable sand. They especially enjoy firm sandy soils with no overgrow. That's why various species are noted by people. They build their nests in sandy paths. These paths have everything a mining bee requires: dry, well established sand and no plants threatening to either overgrow the nest or destroy it by means of their roots. One of the main enemies of mining bees is the cuckoo bees. A cuckoo bee is not bothering about building nests or feeding their young, it simply deposits its eggs in an existing nest. When the cuckoo's young hatches it will first eat the egg or larva present and then the food stored by the rightful owner! Mining bees have their own cuckoo bees belonging to the genus Nomada (wasp bees). In many cases each mining bee species has its own wasp bee species.​

 

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Early Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa

Early Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa

Early Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa

The Early Mining Bee is one of the earliest to be seen indeed. In 2002 we noticed the first one halfway March. It is a very common species, seen in many gardens as well. Due to it's unstriking features it flies about unnoticed and is therefore less frequently reported than it actually appears. It has the length of an average bee, some 8 to 11 mm. The thorax is foxy brown on top, the abdomen is black, except for the rear end, which is foxy brown again. The male is much smaller than the female is and its hairs are much lighter, tending to grey or even white. Thus it is very difficult to tell males apart from the males of other species. The Early Mining Bee is not a choosy animal at all: neither to the place it builds its nest, nor to the flowers it uses to feed on. Actually it benefits from human activities a lot. Females are often seen nesting alone, but groups of females do occur, even though these groups are never very big. It readily nests in gardens, play grounds, sportfields, paths and the sides of roads. Like in most mining bees only one generation is produced yearly, resulting in a short period of activity. Males can be seen in April and May only. Females may start earlier, as early as March and may still be seen in June. It is a common species all over Europe, including the British Isles.

In the top picture you see a male. The female is in all other pictures.

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Tawny Mining Bee Andrena armata

Tawny Mining Bee Andrena armata

Tawny Mining Bee Andrena armata

The Tawny Mining Bee, also known as Lawn Bee, is not more common than the Early Mining Bee, but is much more noticed. It is a little larger, reaching a length of 12 to 13 mm and has striking orange red hairs, not only on the thorax, but all over. It may remind one of a colourful, slender Common Carder Bee. The Tawny Mining Bee is very indifferent about its nesting location, even though it is extremely fond of shadeless sunny places. It is commonly found between tiles and stones in the garden and also loves well-cut lawns. The entrance to the nesting chambers can be well over half a meter deep. Given good conditions many females may nest in one small location. The coming and going of the striking red bees often draws our attention instantly. It too shows little favour towards certain plants, even though it is very fond of various types of berries. The Tawny Mining Bee flies at the same time the Early Mining Bee does, or even shorter. Most are seen in April and May only. This too is a very common species in continental Europe, as well as the UK.

Until recently the animal was scientifically known as Andrena fulva.

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Andrena carantonica

Andrena carantonica

Andrena carantonica

Andrena carantonica is one of the most common Mining Bees in parks and gardens. This species likes to make nests under pathways, stones and tiles. Even though there are a few similar species Andrena carantonica may often be identified by the combination of looks and the location of the nests. The female is a very dark Mining Bee. The abdomen is dark brown and almost hairless, the thorax is covered in ochreous brown hairs. The head has some ochreous hairs too, but is black mainly. She is quite similar to an ordinary Honey Bee, the latter being more slender though. Males and females differ in size. The females reach a length of 13 or 14mm, males vary in length from 10 to 13mm. This puts both genders in the league of the big Mining Bees. Males are seen at the beginning of May mainly. The females appear at the end of April, but sometimes as early as mid-March and may be on the wing to the end of June. Andrena carantonica may appear in huge numbers. Females share a common entry during nesting. Underground however each female takes care of her own chamber. Using the same entrance without being a real structured community is called communal. Because many chambers share one exit, fresh animals meet eachother in this exit while trying to get out for the first time in spring. Males try to mate immediately, so in many cases the females have been fertilized even before seeing daylight. In Dutch this Mining Bee is called the Hawthorn Bee, for Hawthorn is very popular among the bees. However Maple blossom apparently is just as popular. This species is very frequently encountered in Southern England. More scattered in Northern England and Wales. Not common, but present in Southern and Central Scotland. Very rare in Ireland.

The female in the picture could well be over 2 months old. She is so worn and has lost so many hairs, that she can not be identified with absolute certainty. However it is very likely indeed she is an Andrena carantonica.

Scientifically Andrena carantonica is also referred to as Andrena jacobi. Sometimes it is argued there are two separate species actually: Andrena jacobi being a species of early spring, on the wing in March and especially April, while Andrena carantonica is a species appearing later, which is seen in May and June mainly. There is no scientific proof of this however, so most scientists still think there is one species only. To add to the confusion Andrena carantonica is also known as Andrena scotica and Andrena sabulosa.

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Andrena varians

Andrena varians

Early Mining Bee Andrena varians

This common mining bee could be the product of two other Mining Bee species. Like so many others it doesn't seem to have a common English name. Reaching some 10 to 12 mm it is about the same size as your average Mining Bee. It is quite hard to distinguish from the Early Mining Bee and therefore usually overlooked. The hairs however are shorter than those of the Early Mining Bee and the orange-red tail is less striking. Despite being overlooked it is a very frequent visitor to many gardens. The species also likes to nest in gardens and parks, but usually it is alone or in very small groups only. Females can be seen from April to mid-June, males are normally observed in April only. The animal takes all flowers for granted, including many exotic garden plants. This is a common species all over the British Isles, getting scarcer going northwards though.

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Andrena nigroaenea

Andrena nigroaenea

Andrena nigroaenea

Andrena nigroaenea is quite a big mining bee, even looking bigger than it actually is, for it is quite plump. Yet it is scarcely 14 mm in length. The thorax has brownish hairs, just like in the species above, but the colour is significantly darker. The abdomen has hairs in the same colour, but the tail is covered with black hairs. This species is clearly less abundant than the Tawny Mining Bee for instance. More so, for the females nest alone. In suitable territories females may nest together, but there always is a substantial distance between individual nests. Both males and females can be seen from the beginning of April till mid-June, though males have usually disappeared by the end of May. The females spread a very strong pheromone, which attracts the eager males. Recent studies have shown the females produce another type of pheromone once being inseminated. Males show no interest in these females anymore. An orchid, the Early Spider Orchid (Ophris sphegodes) takes advantage of this fact. Like all other orchids it doesn't produce any nectar and therefore is of no interest to insects. Still it needs insects for its own reproduction. So it produces a pheromone identical to that of Andrena nigroaenea. And what is more the flowers are hairy and have the same feel as a female mining bee. This attracts many males, ready to mate. They go through the flower several times, looking for the supposed ready female, but end up empty handed and full of the orchids pollen. Fully disappointed they leave the flower, only to be attracted by the next one. This way the frustrated males are taking care of the orchids reproduction. In Britain however this is no problem for our bee, for the Early Spider Orchid is either absent or extremely rare (we are not absolutely sure of the plant's status in Southern England, but in all other parts of Britain it is absent). Andrena nigroaenea also visits the flowers of many early blooming plants, preferring Dandelions and various willows. We do not know anything about its abundancy in the UK and Ireland.

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Andrena nitida

Andrena nitida

Andrena nitida

Andrena nitida is not that difficult to identify. Just look at the black head, the rusty brown, hairy thorax and the gloomingly black, nearly hairless abdomen. In Western and Central Europe there are no similar species. But be careful when travelling to warmer parts of Europe! Several similar species are in existence over there! Andrena nitida too is quite a big mining bee, even though its length hardly ever exceeds 11 mm. We are not sure about it status in the UK, but probably it is a common species all over the British Isles, but never appearing in great numbers. Like so many mining bees it is a springtime species, appearing in April and May, even though sometimes still seen in June. It is not very choosy about the flowers it visits, but buttercups are among its favourites.

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Andrena tibialis

Andrena tibialis

Andrena tibialis

Andrena tibialis is not very colourful. Like the others it is a springtime species, often seen resting on a leaf, taking a sun bath. Dandelions are its favourite food plants. Like many spring time creatures the best days to photograph it is on a cooler day with sunshine. The animals seek places in the sun to get warm and many are quite approachable. Andrena tibialis is a somewhat smaller species, usually reaching a size of some 7 or 8 mm. The animal is quite hairy, but not strikingly so, for the hairs end in a much lighter colour than they start. The species is found all over Europe, though its status is a bit obscure. Probably Andrena tibialis is a very local species. However there where it accurs it may be almost abundant.

In the bottom pictures is a mating couple. Nothing special by itself, but if you look carefully you can see the female has a parasite. It is the little pinkish thing sticking out of het just before the front leg of the male. The parasites name is Stylops melittae and it is a so-called Stylopid (Strepsiptera). This is an order of small insects, living a parasitic life in certain insects. They are found in cockroaches, certain bees and bugs. The females stay inside their host all their life and even being adult look more like a larva than an adult insect. The males develop fully and are able to fly. They only live for a few hours, in which time they have to find a female to mate. Bees with a parasite usually behave differently from healthy bees and often are sterile, even though the parasite doesn't kill its victim.

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Andrena labiata

Andrena labiata

Andrena labiata

A small number of mining bees have red parts on thorax or abdomen, like this Andrena labiata. In both Holland and Germany it is called the Speedwell Mining Bee, because of its favored foodplant. But in spite of the name it also frequents other flowers regularly, like the pictures on this page do proof. Reaching some 10 mm it could be considered to be a typical mining bee. The body is nearly hairless, but not the legs: these are extremely hairy! The animal appears all over Europe, but is not very common and in many places simply a rare animal. In many countries Andrena labiata enjoys special protection and is on the endangered species list, such as in England and Germany. A similar more common species showing red on the abdomen is Andrena ventralis. The red parts in this species are situated on the underside of the abdomen mainly.

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Andrena flavipes

Andrena flavipes

Andrena flavipes

This is a very common Mining indeed: Andrena flavipes. Not only is it very common in England and parts of Wales, it also regularly appears in great numbers. In Southern England a colony consisting of some 40,000 nests has been found! The species is quite big, reaching a length of 10 to 13 mm. The white bands between the tergites are striking. Males and females are quite similar, except for the hairs, especially on the head. These are whitish grey in males and reddish brown in females. So the animal in the picture below is a male. Andrena flavipes is not at all specialized: all flowers will be visitid and checked for the presence of nectar. Andrena flavipes flies about in two generations. The spring generation, seen mainly in April and May, usually is bigger than the summer generation, flying about in July and August. This is a common species all over Europe. It is spreading northwards nowadays, both in Britain and abroad: it recently reached Sweden. It is not known whether this has got anything to do with the global warming up of planet Earth. Caution: the identification is not a 100%, for this species is difficult to identify, because there are some similar species.

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Micrandrena species

Micrandrena species

Micrandrena sp

Finally there is a group of small black mining bees. They are very similar and only experts can tell them apart after examining the genitals. This group often is considered to be a subgenus: Micrandrena. The best common name for this group would probably be Miniature Mining Bee, or Pygmy Mining Bees. They are similar to a group of small black leaf cutting bees. For those of you really in need of telling them apart there's good news. The Andrena species are weak stingers, the leaf cutter bees are capable of delivering a real painful sting, being small or not. So daredevils have no problem telling them apart. Just catch your bee in your hand, pinch a little and you can be sure to which group it belongs . Below an example of a Micrandrena species. Small, black and with white hairs. These are strict solitary creatures. Because it is virtually impossible to identify species in the field we do not indulge in the identification proces on this site.

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