Red-legged furrow bee

Red-legged furrow bee
Red-legged furrow bee ( Halictus rubicundus )
Systematics
without rank: Bees (Apiformes) Family : Halictidae Subfamily : Halictinae Tribe : Halictini Genre : Halictus Type : Red-legged furrow bee
Scientific name
Halictus rubicundus
( Christ , 1791)

The red-legged furrow bee ( Halictus rubicundus ) is a wild bee of the family Halictidae .

features

The bees are approx. 8 to 11 mm long, the females can also be recognized in the terrain by the reddish brown hairy chest, the narrow white abdomen and red and yellow colored hind legs. The males can only be determined through closer examination.

distribution

The species is very widespread: throughout Central Europe (temperate Eurasia) and North America. Halictus rubicundus and H. confusus are the only species of the genus found in the Old and New World.

Way of life

The mated females overwinter and appear in early April. They nest then partly individually, partly in small colonies in self-dug nests in the ground. Sometimes the nests are in steep walls, but also in sparsely overgrown places. Sometimes the nest founder also produces worker brood. The entrances to the nests are guarded. From the end of July, both males and young females fly. The males patrol plants near the colony in search of females. The females are polylectic, meaning they collect pollen from various plants as larval food. The males die in autumn, the females overwinter outside the colony. In a warmer climate, the species can train two generations a year.

Parasites: Sphecodes gibbus is known as the cuckoo bee .

literature

• Paul Westrich, 2018. Germany's wild bees. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart. 827 p. (Here p. 525f); ISBN 978-3-8186-0123-2 .
• A. Müller, A. Krebs, F. Amiet 1997. Bees. Central European species, way of life, observation. Natur Buch Verl. ISBN 3-89440-241-5 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Müller, Andreas., Krebs, Albert., Amiet, Felix .: Bees: Central European genera, way of life, observation . Natur-Buch-Verl, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-89440-241-5 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Furrow bees: Halictus rubicundus. Retrieved April 22, 2019 . 
3. ^ ^{A b} P. Westrich: The wild bees of Germany . 2018, p. 525 .

Web links

Commons : Halictus rubicundus  - collection of images, videos and audio files