Andrena agilissima
| Andrena agilissima | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Andrena agilissima - Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Andrenidae |
| Genus: | Andrena |
| Species: | A. agilissima |
| Binomial name | |
| Andrena agilissima (Scopoli, 1770) | |
Andrena agilissima is a species of mining bees belonging to the family Andrenidae subfamily Andreninae.
They are present in most of Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa. They can be encountered from April through July.
The adults grow up to 13–15 millimetres (0.51–0.59 in) long, females are slightly larger than males. They have a shiny black body, with tufts of white velvety hairs on the facial fovea, on either side of thorax, on last abdominal tergites and on the femora of the third pair of legs. The wings have bluish reflections.
Andrena agilissima is an oligolectic species, feeding only on pollen of a few genera of Cruciferous vegetables (Brassicaceae species, as Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, Raphanus raphanistrum, Barbarea vulgaris and Sinapis species).
Several females of the same generation share the same nest, dug on sandy soil, on the river banks or on steep walls. Usually the nests have a common entrance, but each individual has its own brood cells with its egg.