Blackthorn Mining Bee vs Sand Digger Wasp

Andrena varians compared with Mellinus crabroneus

Key Differences

• Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern while Sand Digger Wasp is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Sand Digger Wasp
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	Crabronidae
Genus	Andrena	Mellinus
Species	Andrena varians	Mellinus crabroneus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Sand Digger Wasp

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Sand Digger Wasp
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.

Sand Digger Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden