Hymenoptera: Andrenidae - mining bees
Andrena ovatula Small Gorse Mining Bee Can be locally common in southern England but recorded less frequently from central England. Prefers legume-rich areas with sandy or gravelly soils. Bivoltine, March to late May and June to mid September Polylectic (Fabaceae). Spring brood mainly gathers pollen from Gorse, summer brood also from vetches, birds-foot-trefoil, clover Very similar to Andrena wilkella. Specimen examined |
Andrena ovatula, Small Gorse Mining Bee
Kingston Lacy allotments and Broadstone, Dorset. July 2019, April 2020