Burbage Mining Bee
Andrena lathyri
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Henk Wallays, all rights reserved, uploaded by Henk Wallays
Overview
The Burbage Mining Bee (Andrena lathyri) is a specialized solitary bee species with a distinctive brownish-black coloration and pale hair bands across its abdomen. This ground-nesting bee plays a crucial ecological role as a pollinator of leguminous plants, particularly those in the pea family, and creates underground burrows where females provision individual cells with pollen and nectar for their larvae.
The Burbage Mining Bee faces significant threats from habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural intensification and urban development in its specialized coastal and heathland environments. Climate change poses additional risks by altering the flowering patterns of its preferred host plants and shifting suitable habitat zones, while the species' narrow ecological requirements make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes.
Habitat
Specialized coastal heathlands, sand dunes, and cliff-top grasslands where it creates ground nests in sandy soils. The species is closely associated with areas containing its preferred forage plants, particularly in maritime heath communities and adjacent rough grasslands.
Other threatened species in Andrenidae
Threatened in Austria
Frequently asked questions
Why is Burbage Mining Bee classified as Vulnerable?
Where does Burbage Mining Bee live?
What are the main threats to Burbage Mining Bee?
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