Clark's mining bee, Andrena clarkella, a furry mining bee with a red-brown thorax and black abdomen

Andrena clarkella, Clark's mining bee. Aiwok, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Andrena clarkella | Mining bee Willow specialist First bee of spring Ground-nesting

UK Bee Species

Clark's Mining Bee (Andrena clarkella)

Andrena clarkella (Kirby, 1802) · family Andrenidae

Clark's mining bee is often the very first solitary bee of the year, sometimes on the wing in mid-February and tied entirely to the catkins of willow. A furry, red-and-black bee of heaths, banks and woodland edges, it is a true willow specialist whose flight tracks the pussy willow bloom. See where it sits among Britain's bees on the UK Native Bee Species Map, or among the world's bees in the World Bee Atlas.

Quick Facts

Common nameClark's mining bee

Scientific nameAndrena clarkella

AuthorityKirby, 1802

Named afterBracy Clark, entomologist

FamilyAndrenidae (mining bees)

UK statusWidespread; local but not scarce

SizeMedium (about 10 to 13 mm)

ActiveLate February to May

Pollen sourceWillow and sallow only

NestingSandy ground; aggregations

CuckooEarly nomad bee

RangeHolarctic; north to Inverness

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Andrenidae
Genus	Andrena
Species	Andrena clarkella

The first bee of spring

Clark's mining bee is frequently the first solitary bee anyone sees in a new year, sometimes flying in mid-February and peaking with the pussy willow catkins in late March and April.^[1] It is one of a small group of early bees whose whole season is built around willow: pollen is gathered almost entirely from sallow and willow blossom, making it an oligolege, a specialist tied to a single group of plants.^[3] The species is named after Bracy Clark, an English entomologist, and was first described by William Kirby in 1802.^[5]

Out before almost anything else

While most bees are still dormant, Clark's mining bee is already working the catkins. Its early flight, robust size and willow habit together make it one of the more recognisable spring mining bees despite its plain looks.^[2]

How to identify Clark's mining bee

The female is a robust, medium-sized mining bee, larger than a honeybee and very furry, with a deep reddish-brown pile on the thorax and a dense black pile on the abdomen.^[2] The hind tibiae and their pollen brushes are bright orange, though often hidden under a load of willow pollen, while the rest of the hind leg is black-haired and the face is densely black-haired across its width.^[3] Males are less distinctive, with a red-brown thorax, greyer abdomen and a white-haired face marked by a black strip beside each eye; in woodland they have a characteristic zig-zagging flight up tree trunks.^[1]

When the pussy willow turns gold in March, Clark's mining bee is the bee already there to meet it.

Clark's mining bee has its own early cuckoo. The early nomad bee, Nomada leucophthalma, loiters around its burrows in spring, waiting to lay its eggs in the host's nests; spotting it is often a sign the mining bee is nesting nearby.^[1]

Habitat, nesting and range

Clark's mining bee is local but very widely distributed across the British Isles, with a range reaching north to Inverness, and it is Holarctic, found across northern Europe, Asia and North America.^[1] It occurs in many habitats but favours compacted silty sands, especially in base-poor heathland districts, and nests in the soil either in small clusters or in extensive, dense aggregations on level and sloping ground, in earth banks and along well-trodden paths.^[2] Each female digs her own burrow and, distinctively, covers the entrance while she is away foraging.^[4]

Source conflict

Some historic records muddy the picture. Early authors reported the bee-fly Bombylius minor from Clark's mining bee nests, but the national recording society notes this is likely a misidentification of Bombylius major, since the former flies only in summer while Clark's mining bee is an early-spring species. Old associations at the edges of a species' biology are worth treating with care.^[1]

Why it matters

As one of the earliest bees of the year, Clark's mining bee is an important pollinator of willows at a time when little else is flying, and willow catkins are in turn a vital early nectar and pollen source for many emerging insects. A specialist like this rises and falls with its foodplant, so keeping willows and sallows in the landscape, and leaving sunny, sandy banks undisturbed, supports both the bee and the wider spring web that depends on it.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I identify Clark's mining bee?

Look in very early spring on willow catkins for a robust, furry mining bee with a deep red-brown thorax, a dense black abdomen, a black-haired face and bright orange hind-leg pollen brushes. Its early flight and willow habit are the best clues; small specimens can resemble Gwynne's mining bee.

Why is it called Clark's mining bee?

William Kirby named the species in 1802 in honour of Bracy Clark, an English entomologist. The names Clark's andrena and Clarke's mining bee are also used.

When is it active?

It is one of the earliest solitary bees of the year, flying from late February to May and peaking in late March and April with the pussy willow bloom.

What does it feed on?

Almost entirely willow and sallow (Salix). It is an oligolege, a specialist that gathers its pollen from a single group of plants, so its season is closely tied to the willow bloom.

Where does it nest?

In sandy or silty soils, often in base-poor heathland, in earth banks and along well-trodden paths. Nests may be in small clusters or in large, dense aggregations, and each female covers her burrow entrance while out foraging.

What is the early nomad bee?

It is Clark's mining bee's cuckoo: the early nomad bee (Nomada leucophthalma) lays its eggs in the host's nests, where its grub eats the stored food. Seeing it patrol a bank in spring suggests the mining bee is nesting there.

Do Clark's mining bees sting?

They can in theory, but they are very docile and almost never do, and the sting is weak. With no colony to defend they are safe around gardens, children and pets.

Does Clark's mining bee make honey?

No. Each female stores only enough willow pollen and nectar to feed her own larvae, never a surplus. Only the honeybee makes honey in quantity. Compare the bee families in the World Bee Atlas.

Related species

Lookalike

Gwynne's Mining Bee

Andrena bicolorRead more → Mining bee

Tawny Mining Bee

Andrena fulvaRead more → Mining bee

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena cinerariaRead more →

Sources & references

BWARS (Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society). Species account: Andrena clarkella (Kirby, 1802), early flight, willow forage, nesting, Nomada leucophthalma and the historic bee-fly record. bwars.com.
Falk, S. Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland, Bloomsbury, notes for Andrena clarkella (female and male characters, flight, habitat, aggregation nesting). Steven Falk Flickr collection.
NatureSpot. Andrena clarkella: female identification, black-haired clypeus, willow specialism and early flight. naturespot.org.
Scottish Native Honey Bee Society and National Trust for Scotland field accounts: willow foraging, nest-covering behaviour and nesting away from the foodplant.
GBIF Secretariat / NBN Atlas and species etymology: Andrena clarkella (Kirby, 1802), named for Bracy Clark; Holarctic distribution.

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