Andrena vaga
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Andrena vaga, the grey-backed mining bee, is a species of solitary bee which is found in most of Europe but which is very rare in Great Britain, where it may be recolonizing in the south-east after previously being extirpated. It specialises in feeding on the pollen of willows.
A. vaga is a large mining bee, 13-15mm in length, which has the entire thorax clothed in grey hairs, sometimes showing a slight buff tinge, the scopae and hind femorae have white hairs. It also has patches of white hairs on the abdomen sides. On closer examination the surface of the cuticle can be seen to be shiny metallic black. The face is covered with brownish hairs It resembles the ashy mining bee (Andrena cineraria). Males have the entire upper surface of the thorax covered in grey hair and pale hair on the hind tibia. When it can be seen, sternite 8 will show a downwards curve at its tip. The males have the sides and top of the face coloured white, with the bottom having long white hairs, it has long mandibles and rounded cheeks.
A. vaga is found in Europe as far north as 66°N, although it is found only in southern Scandinavia, east to Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Cologne | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 6 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 7 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-Backed Mining Bee sighting in Cologne on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 235 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-Backed Mining Bee in Cologne on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey-Backed Mining Bee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Grey-Backed Mining Bee sightings, Cologne ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, about 10%).
Same genus: Andrena
The closest relatives of the Grey-Backed Mining Bee that you can see in Cologne (genus Andrena, Mining Bees) are Tawny Mining Bee (about 10%) and Early Mining Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey-Backed Mining Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Cologne (11 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
