Widely recorded across Europe, with local variation in abundance and northern or southern range limits.
Fine-art photographic collection
Andrena nitida
A polished spring bee that hides its nest entrance among grass rather than on bare soil.
About this species
Grey-patched Mining Bee
Andrena nitida(Müller, 1776)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Andrena nitida is a robust European mining bee active mainly in spring. Unlike species that form obvious bare-ground colonies, females commonly excavate dispersed nests through turf and short vegetation, making the burrows surprisingly difficult to find.
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
EuropeBroad 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?
Females often nest through grass-covered soil, so a busy colony can be present with almost none of the conspicuous spoil heaps associated with mining bees.
The species produces one generation a year, compressing mating, digging, pollen collection and egg laying into a short spring flight period.
Its brood can be invaded not only by cuckoo bees but by Stylops parasites that live inside the adult bee and protrude between the abdominal plates.