Andrenidae
Miner bees
The Andrenidae
Miner bees dig solitary nests close to floral resources. Many species are specialists and have relatively small geographic ranges, like the species of flowers they visit. Miner bees are correspondingly diverse with about 600 North American species, of which 74 have been recorded thus far in the Salish Sea, 20 of them in the San Juan Islands. Only mason bees (Osmia) and the leafcutter bee genus Lasioglossum are as diverse in our region.
Most Pacific Northwest miner bees belong to the genus Andrena, which are relatively large (honeybee-sized) and tolerate damp, cool spring weather. They visit many of the same large showy spring wildflowers in our coastal landscapes as bumblebees, but are active on cool, windy days that leave larger bees grounded.
Few representatives of the genera Perdita and Panurginus are found in the Salish Sea. These tiny dark miner bees prefer warmer, drier conditions farther south!
Panurginus atriceps
Iceberg Point, Lopez
Island