Hairy Legged Mining Bee
VU

Hairy Legged Mining Bee

Dasypoda hirtipes

UnknownLCEU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasypoda_hirtipes

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Hairy Legged Mining Bee faces severe population declines primarily due to the loss of sandy coastal habitats essential for its ground-nesting behavior. Agricultural intensification and coastal development have eliminated many suitable nesting sites, while the widespread use of pesticides has reduced both adult bee survival and the availability of preferred wildflower food sources. Climate change poses an additional threat through rising sea levels that inundate coastal nesting areas and altered flowering phenology that disrupts the bee's specialized foraging relationships.

Threat summary

Habitat

This specialized mining bee inhabits sandy coastal areas, heathlands, and chalk downs where it excavates deep burrows for nesting. The species requires areas with sparse vegetation and exposed sandy soil, typically found within 10 kilometers of coastlines across western and southern Europe.

Other threatened species in Melittidae

storblomsterbiCR

storblomsterbi

Melitta melanura

Unknown

Threatened in Afghanistan

Calidris ferrugineaVU

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
small mallowVU

small mallow

Malva pusilla

Unknown
Tiger SawgillCR

Tiger Sawgill

Lentinus tigrinus

Unknown
EN

Malus komarovii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Hairy Legged Mining Bee classified as Vulnerable?
Hairy Legged Mining Bee is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. The Hairy Legged Mining Bee faces severe population declines primarily due to the loss of sandy coastal habitats essential for its ground-nesting behavior. Agricultural intensification and coastal development have eliminated many suitable nesting sites, while the widespread use of pesticides has reduced both adult bee survival and the availability of preferred wildflower food sources. Climate change poses an additional threat through rising sea levels that inundate coastal nesting areas and altered flowering phenology that disrupts the bee's specialized foraging relationships.
Where does Hairy Legged Mining Bee live?
Hairy Legged Mining Bee occurs in Afghanistan, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Czechia (plus 35 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Hairy Legged Mining Bee?
The main threats to Hairy Legged Mining Bee are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.