Yellow-legged Mining Bee
Andrena flavipes
This record describes Andrena flavipes (species). Recorded family: Andrenidae. Recorded order: Hymenoptera.
Identification and Appearance
The males look different to the females. They are slimmer, covered in sparser hair and lack the dense brush of orange-yellow hairs on the hind leg. Nests in exposed banks and cliffs, tended lawns, flower beds, roadside verges and in sparsely vegetated field margins. The bee has a two flight periods each year. It flies from March to May, and again from June to early August. The spring generation is usually much more numerous than the summer generation. Andrena flavipes nests are constructed in the ground, and are often found in dense aggregations. Mainly found in southern England. There are no records from Scotland or Ireland, and it is confined to the south coast in Wales. The species has become more widespread and plentiful since the late 1980s.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Andrenidae
- Genus
- Andrena
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
Nests in exposed banks and cliffs, tended lawns, flower beds, roadside verges and in sparsely vegetated field margins.
Seasonal Activity
The bee has a two flight periods each year. It flies from March to May, and again from June to early August. The spring generation is usually much more numerous than the summer generation.
Diet and Behavior
Life History
Andrena flavipes nests are constructed in the ground, and are often found in dense aggregations.
Additional species information
Recorded status
Mainly found in southern England. There are no records from Scotland or Ireland, and it is confined to the south coast in Wales. The species has become more widespread and plentiful since the late 1980s.
About Flies: the wider group
Order-level background for Hymenoptera, the group containing Andrena flavipes. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Hymenoptera includes over 150,000 described species of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Earth harbors approximately 20 quadrillion (20×10^15) ants, with a combined biomass of ~12 megatons of dry carbon - exceeding the combined biomass of all wild birds and mammals (PNAS, 2022).
Ecological role of the group
About 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators. The chocolate industry, valued at over $100 billion, depends on pollinating flies and midges. Ants are the dominant soil engineers in most terrestrial ecosystems, turning more soil than earthworms in many habitats.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Pollinators contribute $235-577 billion worth of annual global food production (FAO). In the U.S., bee pollination alone benefits crops valued at $18 billion annually, and honey bees are responsible for $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity. Between April 2023-2024, 55.1% of managed honey bee colonies were lost. The U.S. bee population dropped from 5 million to 2.5 million.
Recorded sources for this group: FAO, USDA, EPA, PNAS (2022), US Fish & Wildlife Service. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Yellow-legged Mining Bee (3)
Frequently Asked Questions About Yellow-legged Mining Bee
What is Yellow-legged Mining Bee?
Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes) is a species in the family Andrenidae, within the order Hymenoptera.
Where is Yellow-legged Mining Bee found?
Habitat: Nests in exposed banks and cliffs, tended lawns, flower beds, roadside verges and in sparsely vegetated field margins.
When is Yellow-legged Mining Bee active?
Yellow-legged Mining Bee: seasonal activity - The bee has a two flight periods each year. It flies from March to May, and again from June to early August. The spring generation is usually much more numerous than the summer generation..
What is the life cycle of a Yellow-legged Mining Bee?
Andrena flavipes nests are constructed in the ground, and are often found in dense aggregations.