Blackthorn Mining Bee vs Cliff Mason Bee

Andrena varians compared with Osmia xanthomelana

Key Differences

• Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern while Cliff Mason Bee is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Cliff Mason 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	Andrenidae	Megachilidae
Genus	Andrena	Osmia
Species	Andrena varians	Osmia xanthomelana

Evolutionary Relationship

Blackthorn Mining Bee and Cliff Mason Bee share a common ancestor at the Order level: Hymenoptera. (Ants, Bees & Wasps)

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Cliff Mason Bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Cliff Mason Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Cliff Mason Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

The Blackthorn Mining Bee (Andrena varians) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Cliff Mason Bee

The Cliff Mason Bee, Osmia species, is one of numerous solitary bees in the large genus Osmia, family Megachilidae, whose females construct individual brood cells from mud, clay, or resin in crevices on cliff faces, rock walls, and outcrops. Mason bees are important pollinators of wildflowers and orchard crops, collecting pollen and nectar to provision their nests. Cliff mason bees take advantage of natural crevices in rock faces as nesting sites, plastering cells of mud mixed with sand grains or plant material to subdivide the crevice into individual egg chambers. Each cell contains a pollen-nectar mass food provision and a single egg before being sealed with a mud plug. Males typically emerge first in spring, followed by females, and adults live for only several weeks, devoted entirely to mating and nesting. Cliff-nesting Osmia species are found in rocky habitats across the Holarctic region, from Europe through Asia and North America. The availability of suitable nesting sites on cliff faces, combined with the proximity of diverse wildflower resources, determines population density. Many solitary bee populations have declined in recent decades due to loss of nesting habitat and floral resources. Specific conservation status depends on the species intended.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇸🇪 Sweden