Large Sallow Mining Bee

Behavior

Flight period
Univoltine; early March to late April, rarely May.

Habitat

Open deciduous woodland and abandoned sand and chalk quarries.

Reproduction

The nest burrows are generally excavated in level soil. Nests occur either singly or in small, open aggregations, the burrow entrances being rather widely scattered (pers. obs). Large compact aggregations, however, have been recorded (Perkins, 1919). Males are either seen flying low and fast over open ground, or zigzagging up tree trunks and telegraph posts, presumably in their search for receptive females. Both sexes occasionally alight on such surfaces.

Food

Flowers visited: gorse, sallow and plum. On mainland Europe, the species has been noted visiting alder (Alnus glutinosa), colt's-foot (Tussilago farfara) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowers (Dylewska, 1987). Males rarely seem to visit flowers, though specimens are commonly dusted with pollen grains, suggesting they do so.

Predators

Bees of the Nomada genus are cleptoparasites of this species.