Saving the small things that run the planet
Tormentil Mining Bee
Fast Facts
Latin name: Andrena tarsata
Notable feature: Small, black solitary bee
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Where in the UK: Found on heathland and moorland in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Tormentil Mining Bee (Andrena tarsata) © Sandy Rae (CC BY 4.0)
The Tormentil Mining Bee (Andrena tarsata) is named after its dependency on Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), a common plant found on acid grassland, heathland and moorland.
Female Tormentil Mining Bees are unique because of their three-toothed mandibles and can be easily identified by their hind orange legs, black thorax with pale grey hair fringes and abdomen with white bands. Males differ from similarly yellow-faced Andrena species by their black hairs on top of the thorax and partly orange tarsi.
This species also forages unusually rapidly for a mining bee, with a fast-scrabbling action, and moves quickly between flowers.
Size: 6-7.5mm
Life span: Annual
Diet: Feeds almost exclusively on the pollen from Tormentil flowers. However, they also forage plants such as brambles, heathers, Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia).
Reproduction: Female Tormentil Mining Bees nest in independent burrows in late summer. They build an individual cell for each egg that is stocked with pollen. Larvae overwinter in their cells before emerging as an adult. Males are usually the first to emerge.
When to see: On the wing from late May to August. Look out for them particularly in Tormentil-rich habitats.
Population Trend: Declining.
Threats: Loss, fragmentation and degradation of Tormentil-rich heathland and moorland habitat.
Interesting Fact: The Tormentil Mining Bee is parasitised by the rare Tormentil Cuckoo Bee (Nomada roberjeotiana), which lays its eggs in Tormentil Mining Bee nests to allow its larvae to take advantage of the host’s food stores.
Buglife is working to restore habitat for the Tormentil Mining Bee and other invertebrates through specific projects and campaigns, including Solitary Bee Week and B-Lines, but we need your help!
Buglife B-Lines are an imaginative and beautiful solution to the problem of the loss of flowers and pollinators. B-Lines are a series of ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns, along which we are restoring and creating a series of wildflower-rich habitat stepping stones. Linking existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that will weave across the UK landscape. More information about B-Lines and how you can help pollinators can be found here.
Join a recording scheme and log your finds – send any records/sightings to BWARS or download the iRecord app and get recording!
Do remember that we rely on donations to continue our work. If you have searched, found and learnt about our incredible invertebrates on our website, please do consider Making a Donation, Becoming a Member or maybe even making a purchase in our shop. For more ideas on how to support our work find out how to Get Involved. Thank you 🕷
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