Andrena marginata

• Scientific name: Andrena marginata
• Common name: small scabious mining bee
• Dimension: 9-11 mm
• Habitat: arid meadows, humid meadows, dry meadows and pastures
• Behavior: solitary
• Collective behavior: oligolectic
• Larvae's diet: plants of the Caprifoliaceae family such as the woolly thistle, with a strong preference for species of the Scabiosa and Knautia genera
• Nest: in the ground
• Parasitized by: Nomada argentata
• Red list of bees in Switzerland: highly endangered

Interesting Facts:

The small scabious mining bee is a very rare species, whose presence depends strongly on the availability of a suitable environment. It is classified as highly endangered on teh Swiss Red List. According to this list, oligolectic species which specialize in the Dipsacaceae and Brassicaceae families families are particularly at risk.