Blackthorn Mining Bee vs Dwarf nettle

Andrena varians compared with Urtica urens

Key Differences

Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern while Dwarf nettle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Dwarf nettle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Andrenidae	Urticaceae
Genus	Andrena	Urtica
Species	Andrena varians	Urtica urens

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Dwarf nettle

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Dwarf nettle
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.

Dwarf nettle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa), Asia (Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar), Europe (19 countries), North America (Canada, Cuba, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (7 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.