Black-headed Mining Bee vs Chocolate Mining Bee

Andrena nigriceps compared with Andrena carantonica

Key Differences

• Black-headed Mining Bee is Near Threatened while Chocolate Mining Bee is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-headed Mining Bee	Chocolate Mining Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family same	Andrenidae	Andrenidae
Genus same	Andrena	Andrena
Species	Andrena nigriceps	Andrena carantonica

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-headed Mining Bee and Chocolate Mining Bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Andrena.

Conservation Status

Black-headed Mining Bee

NT — Near Threatened

Chocolate Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-headed Mining Bee	Chocolate Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-headed Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Chocolate Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Black-headed Mining Bee

The Black-headed Mining Bee (Andrena nigriceps) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Chocolate Mining Bee

The Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena carantonica) is a medium-sized solitary bee in the family Andrenidae, native to Europe and extending across temperate Eurasia. Mining bees of the genus Andrena are ground-nesting bees that excavate burrows in soft or sandy soils, creating underground cells provisioned with pollen and nectar as larval food. Andrena carantonica is one of several spring-emerging Andrena species associated with fruit trees and spring-flowering plants; females frequently visit the flowers of apple, cherry, hawthorn, willow, and other early-season species, making them important pollinators of both wild plants and orchard crops. The species is often an early-season visitor alongside other spring bees, making it an important pollination service provider before managed honeybee colonies are at full strength. Males typically emerge before females, patrolling host plant patches in search of mates. The species is eusocial in the broad sense, with females sometimes nesting in loose aggregations in favoured soil sites. The IUCN classifies Andrena carantonica as Least Concern; it is one of the more widespread and frequently recorded Andrena species across its range. Threats to mining bee populations generally include loss of nesting habitat (bare ground), loss of floral resources through agricultural intensification, and pesticide use.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden