Amegilla quadrifasciata
| Amegilla quadrifasciata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Amegilla |
| Species: | A. quadrifasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Amegilla quadrifasciata (Villers, 1789) | |
Amegilla quadrifasciata, the White-banded Digger Bee, is a species of bees belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae.
They are present in most of Europe, in central Asia and in North Africa.
The adults grow up to 9–12 millimetres (0.35–0.47 in) long and can be encountered from March to June, mainly feeding on Lamiaceae, Boraginaceae and Primulaceae species.
The thorax is densely hairy, while the abdomen alternate black and white stripes. They have very large compound eyes, their long proboscises allow them to sip nectar from a variety of flowers and the hairy hind legs facilitate the collection and transport of pollen.
Amegilla quadrifasciata are solitary bees and do not form colonies. The females lay their eggs in nests in tunnels usually excavated by themselves in loose soils. In the cells they store pollen and nectar as food for the larvae. The larvae pupate in Autumn and emerge as adult bees in March.