Cliff Mining Bee vs Ackerhummel

Andrena thoracica compared with Bombus pascuorum

Key Differences

• Cliff Mining Bee is Extinct while Ackerhummel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cliff Mining Bee	Ackerhummel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class same	Insecta (Insekten)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Hautflügler)	Hymenoptera (Hautflügler)
Family	Andrenidae	Apidae (Bees)
Genus	Andrena	Bombus
Species	Andrena thoracica	Bombus pascuorum

Evolutionary Relationship

Cliff Mining Bee and Ackerhummel share a common ancestor at the Order level: Hymenoptera. (Hautflügler)

Conservation Status

Cliff Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Ackerhummel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cliff Mining Bee	Ackerhummel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cliff Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Ackerhummel

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Cliff Mining Bee

The Cliff Mining Bee, Andrena species in the family Andrenidae, is a solitary ground-nesting bee that excavates tunnels in cliff faces, earthen banks, and compacted sandy or loamy soils, where the loose or friable substrates exposed in cliff profiles provide ideal nesting conditions. Mining bees in the genus Andrena are among the most species-rich solitary bee genera in the world, with hundreds of species across the Holarctic region, many narrowly specialized in their choice of pollen host plants. Female cliff mining bees construct vertical or angled burrows in cliff faces, with lateral cells off the main shaft, each containing a pollen ball and a single egg. Males are typically smaller and emerge before females to establish territories near nesting sites. Many Andrena species are oligolectic, collecting pollen from only a small number of plant species, making their populations sensitive to the availability of specific flowering plants in the landscape surrounding nesting areas. Cliff and bank nesting habitats provide well-drained, sun-warmed substrates essential for brood development. The loss of natural cliff faces and earthen banks to development, vegetation succession, and quarrying reduces available nesting habitat for cliff mining bees.

Ackerhummel

<em>Bombus pascuorum</em>, commonly known as the common carder bee, is a bumblebee species found across Europe, with documented occurrences in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and additional European countries. It typically inhabits all terrestrial and freshwater environments, often foraging across a wide range of flowering plants in meadows, gardens, hedgerows, and farmland. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating a broadly stable global population. Common carder bee belongs to the genus <em>Bombus</em> within the family Apidae and is one of the more widely distributed bumblebee species in Europe. It often nests above ground in dry grass, moss, or other plant material, building compact nests characteristic of carder bees. As a generalist pollinator, it visits a diverse range of flowering species and contributes meaningfully to ecosystem pollination services. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body length, and mass of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden