Orange-tailed Mining Bee vs Dawson's Burrowing Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Orange-tailed Mining Bee Dawson's Burrowing Bee
Scientific Name Andrena haemorrhoa Amegilla dawsoni
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Apidae
Size 8-12 mm 18-24 mm
Habitat Orchards Heathland
Diet Fruit Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe Western Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Orange-tailed Mining Bee

A common spring bee with a ginger thorax and orange-tipped abdomen. It visits a wide variety of flowers and is an important fruit tree pollinator.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most abundant spring-flying solitary bees across the whole of Europe.

Dawson's Burrowing Bee

A large solitary bee endemic to Western Australia that nests in massive aggregations in hardpan clay. Males engage in violent aerial combat to mate with emerging females.

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Did You Know?

Male combat is so fierce that individuals frequently die from injuries sustained during mating battles.