Andrena hattorfiana
Knautien sand bee ( Andrena hattorfiana )
The Knautien sand bee ( Andrena hattorfiana ) is a species of the family of the Real bees ( Apidae ).
Features
This Sandbiene is 13 to 16 millimeters long. The females, as females of other species of the same genus, hairy hind legs and a pollen basket made of curved hairs on the hips. The rest of the body is dark with sparse light hair. The second, and sometimes also the first segment of the rear body are red. There are also completely black specimens. The males are slimmer and have a stronger hair growth, especially in the middle. The red coloration of the back body comes in males are less common.
Distribution and threat
The Knautien - Sandbiene occurs in many parts of Europe and North Africa. In some areas the species has disappeared due to over-fertilization and the use of herbicides. In Germany, the UK, Finland, Norway and Sweden, the species was included in the national Red List of Threatened Species.
Way of life
This Sandbiene lives solitary and does not form colonies. The females lay nests in the ground, in the cells of which the eggs are laid. Knautien sand bees mate from mid-June to mid-August. In the food this way specializes in pollen of the field scabious ( Knautia arvensis ) and the pigeon - Scabiosa ( Scabiosa columbaria ), so this Sandbiene occurs only in areas where these plants grow, so on meadows and field and forest edges. The pollen is stored in the cells of the nest as food for the larvae.
System
The Knautien - Sandbiehne was formerly attributed to the genus Nomada.