Europe eastwards into western Asia; records are concentrated in temperate habitats.
Fine-art photographic collection
Andrena cineraria
A mining bee that seals its doorway behind every foraging trip.
About this species
Ashy Mining Bee
Andrena cineraria(Linnaeus, 1758)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
The ashy mining bee excavates a short main shaft with several brood cells in sunny ground. A female repeatedly hides the nest by closing the entrance when she leaves, then digs it open again on her return.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Andrenidae · Andrena
Accepted species or infraspecific taxon in the current GBIF/Catalogue of Life treatment; unsupported details have been omitted rather than inferred. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and western AsiaBroad documented range and selected occurrence localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Open or semi-open flower-rich habitat with suitable soil for nesting; exact preferences vary across the species range.
Seasonal and diurnal; the precise flight period varies with latitude and climate.
Adults take nectar; females collect pollen to provision brood cells.
Solitary ground-nesting bee; several females may nest close together.
What makes this species remarkable?
A female closes the nest entrance after leaving, disguising the burrow from parasites and reopening it when she returns with pollen.
The next generation completes development underground and survives winter as fully formed adult bees inside sealed natal cells.
Its specialist cuckoo bee, Nomada lathburiana, searches the nesting aggregation and replaces the host offspring with its own larva.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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