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Andrenid Bee - Andrena sp. Order Hymenoptera -- abelha, ants, bees, formiga, vespa, wasps Suborder Apocrita -- abeilles, ants, bees, fourmis, guêpes véritables, narrow-waisted hymenopterans, true wasps Infraorder Aculeata / Superfamily Apoidea -- bees / Family Andrenidae -- andrenid bees / Subfamily Andreninae Live adult bees photographed at West Chicago Prairie, DuPage County IL USA. |
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 Adult Andrena Bee | ||
| Andrena is the largest
genus in
the family
Andrenidae, and is nearly worldwide in distribution, with the
notable exception of
Oceania.
With over 1,300 species, it is one of the largest of all bee genera. The
typical appearance is brown to black with whitish abdominal bands. Some
species have completely black abdomen without bands (e.g. subgenus
Melandrena), while others have bands which are centrally interrupted
(e.g. in subgenus
Micrandrena), and others have red abdomens.
Females often show a black triangle at the abdominal apex (tip). In temperate areas, Andrena bees (both males and females) emerge from the underground cells where their pupae spend the winter, when the temperature ranges from about 20°C to 30°C. They mate, and the females then seek sites for their nest burrows, where they construct small cells containing a ball of pollen mixed with nectar, upon which an egg is laid, before each cell is sealed. Andrena usually prefer sandy soils for a nesting substrate, near or under shrubs to be protected from heat and frost. --From Wikipedia |
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