Family Andrenidae
Andrenidae
In Minnesota, there are four bee genera within the family Andrenidae: Andrena, Calliopsis, Perdita, and Protandrena. Bees in this family range in size from extremely tiny Perdita (fairy bees) to some Andrena (mining bees) that are larger than a honey bee. All bees in this family nest in the ground. Some species have strong preferences for nesting in specific types of soil such as sand, while other species are less selective and commonly nest in home yards and gardens in a variety of soils.
This family also includes a significant number of pollen-collecting specialists (oligolectic bees). Some of these specialists are broader pollen specialists, collecting pollen from many plant genera belonging to one plant family. Others are very strict specialists, collecting pollen from one plant genus or species.
Andrena hirticincta, a pollen specialist of goldenrod and aster.
Family Characteristics
Facial foveae present (vertical grooves inside the compound eyes).
Pollen collecting hairs (scopae) on hind legs (females).
Ground-nesting.
Two subantennal sutures. Note: This characteristic is difficult to see on most genera and requires a microscope.
Explore Andrenidae Genera
Explore Other Bee Families
Andrenidae
Mining and
fairy bees
Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., Shumar, S., & Maffei, C. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12812755
Gardner, J. The mining bees (Andrenidae: Andrena) of Minnesota: species checklist and key to subgenera. Unpublished manuscript.
Mitchell, T. B. (1960). Bees of the eastern United States. Technical Bulletin No. 141. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.
Portman, Z. M., Gardner, J., Lane, I. G., Gerjets, N., Petersen, J. D., Ascher, J. S., ... & Cariveau, D. P. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa, 5304(1), 1-95.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.