A fairly large Andrena, comparable in size with A. scotica Perkins, but patterned more like A. fulvago (Christ) with darker wings. It has only been recorded in Britain on a few occasions: by F Smith in the middle of the nineteenth century, and subsequently with a number of records in the early 1900s and again in the 1930s. All these records relate to that part of Kent north of Maidstone, so it may well have been a species with several short-lived invasions, but which failed to become more widely established.

A member of the subgenus Taeniandrena, represented in Britain by four species, A. ovatula is a very close relative of A. wilkella (Kirby) and is easily confused with that species, especially in the field. The two species are perhaps most readily distinguished in both sexes by the entire hair band on the third gastral tergite of A. ovatula (medially interrupted in A. wilkella)

One of the larger Andrena species, with a generally dark brown abdomen and contrasting orange hairs on the hind legs and thorax. This species is one of the first to emerge in the spring, males often flying rapidly over areas of bare ground or sitting on dandelion flowers. Since the mid-1990s however, an increasing number of confirmed records of freshly emerged specimens in July point to the presence of a partial (at least) second generation. Whether this has become possible with the increase in duration of higher temperatures for a longer period in our summer is a moot point.… Read more

A medium-sized, well-haired mining bee, the female of which has a distinctive banded appearance to the gaster, these bands being made up of paler hairs. It has jet-black facial hairs, which set it apart from females of its close relatives, A. denticulata (Kirby), fuscipes (Kirby), simillima Smith and tridentata (Kirby). Males have a thickened ridge behind the eyes and ocelli. As in most other members of this group, males are much less frequently seen than females.

This species is the rarer of the two formerly known as A. pilipes or A. carbonaria. It has a single flight period which occurs in May and June between the two broods of A. pilipes sens. str. Andrena nigrospina has shown a very marked decline in distribution since the mid 20th century, although quantifying this is very difficult as many of the records do not now have specimens to back them up and so cannot be re-examined. Examination of male genitalia is necessary for determination, and specimens flying in June are thought most likely to be this species… Read more

A member of the Andrena minutula species group, identified mainly in the female by the entire, dense white hair band on the fourth gastral tergite and the dense white lateral bands on the second and third tergites.

The inclusion of this bee on the British list rests on a female in the F. Smith Collection in the University Museum, Oxford. The only documentation carried on the pin is “16.8.”. According to R.C.L. Perkins (1914) the specimen was probably sent to Smith by J.B. Bridgman of Norwich as the pin, mode of setting and label is similar to that of other Andrena known to have been sent by him to Smith in the period 1875-77. The numerals “16.8” presumably indicates the date. This specimen is not mapped.

This is a very rare, local and little known bee though widely distributed throughout much… Read more

The UK Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) 

BWARS is a subscription based volunteer recording society, operating under the aegis of the UK Biological Records Centre (BRC). The Society is affiliated to the British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS).

The Society aims to promote the recording of aculeate Hymenoptera in Great Britain and Ireland, and to foster links with similar societies and interested individuals throughout Europe.

There are about… Read more

This medium-sized Andrena is very similar to the common A. dorsata (Kirby), but has only been recorded three times in Britain, between 1931 and 1951. Records come from Berkshire and Dorset. Despite examining many A. dorsata over forty years the author has not managed to add anything to these records, although he suspects it was this species he filmed visiting oil-seed rape in Hungary during 2012.

This small bee exhibits seasonal dimorphism. Following a review of the British Micrandrena, Perkins (1914) considered that individuals of the spring generation were a distinct species, Andrena parvula (Kirby). He knew the summer generation as Andrena minutula (Kirby). The differences between the broods were based on very subtle differences in surface microsculpture and punctation. The name parvula was later demoted to that of a junior synonym of minutula (Perkins, 1919). This is a very common species but is easily overlooked and sometimes… Read more