Europe eastwards into western Asia; records are concentrated in temperate habitats.
Fine-art photographic collection
Anthophora plumipes
A spring bee that waterproofs underground cells and waits through winter as an adult.
About this species
Hairy Footed Flower Bee
Anthophora plumipes(Pallas, 1772)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
The hairy-footed flower bee excavates nests in soft mortar, cliffs and compacted soil. Each pitcher-shaped brood cell is lined with a glandular secretion that hardens into a waterproof inner wall.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Apidae · Anthophora
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.
Gardens, cliffs, banks and old walls with suitable nesting material and abundant spring flowers.
One of the conspicuous early-spring flower bees.
Adults take nectar; females collect pollen for brood cells.
Solitary, often nesting in aggregations.
What makes this species remarkable?
The female paints every brood cell with a secretion from her Dufour’s gland, creating a waterproof nursery inside damp soil or mortar.
Both sexes complete metamorphosis before winter and spend the cold months as fully formed adults sealed inside their cells.
Its pollination of field beans can be so effective that the species has been studied as an important crop pollinator.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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