Yellow-legged furrow bee: This wild bee likes it hot

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The yellow-legged furrow bee (Halictus scabiosae) is a real sun worshipper that likes it really warm - and that's why climate change doesn't bother it much. On the contrary: you could almost say that the furrow bee benefits from global warming in this country. Originally, the yellow-legged furrow bee comes from the Mediterranean region, from where it then spread to the south of Germany in the 1990s.

Twenty years ago, the furrow bee was still on the Red List and was almost only found in the warm Rhine Valley. But as temperatures rose, the wild bee migrated further and further north and now feels at home even in Schleswig-Holstein.

Name Gelbbindige Furchenbiene
Wissenschaftlicher Name Halictus scabiosae
Größe 12–15 mm
Flugzeit März bis Oktober
Vorkommen Häufig
Blütenvorliebe Unspezialisiert: Korbblütler, Kardengewächse, ungefüllte Zucht- und Wildrosen
Lebensraum Warme, trockene, vegetationsarme Standorte
Nistweise Nistet in selbst gegrabenen Erdnestern in eusozialen Kolonien

Nesting site, nest building and lifestyle of the yellow-legged furrow bee: teamwork instead of going it alone

In contrast to most other wild bee species in Europe, the yellow-legged furrow bee does not always nest alone. Furrow bees live in small, eusocial colonies in self-dug nests. This means that fertilized females overwinter together in the maternity nest and care for the offspring as a team in spring. In May, the "queen" of the colony is chosen and is the only one allowed to lay her eggs. The other "auxiliary females" then swarm out and provide the brood with food while the queen protects her eggs.

Shortly before the eggs hatch, the queen expels the helper females and they then found their own nests where they lay their eggs. Here the yellow-legged furrow bees are by no means squeamish and "raid" nests of other wild bee species, where they kill the owners and steal the provisions.

Ein Weibchen der Gelbbindigen Furchenbiene
Ein Weibchen der Gelbbindigen Furchenbiene auf einer Blüte © Bianca Gümpel/Pixabay

Identify the yellow-banded furrow bee: How to recognize the wild bee

In contrast to other furrow bee species, the yellow-banded furrow bee is easy to identify. At 12 to 15 millimeters, Halictus scabiosae is one of the largest native Halictus species. The head and thorax of both males and females are black and have ochre-yellow hairs. The male furrow bees are much slimmer than the females and have a much narrower head. On the abdomen, the female furrow bees have ochre-yellow bands, each of which is bordered by a light brown band. The males have whitish bands on their abdomen and almost completely yellow hind legs (tibiae). On closer inspection, you can see a vertical furrow on the abdomen of the wild bee, which gives the furrow bee its name.

Die Weibchen der Gelbbindigen Furchenbienen leben in eusozialen Kolonien
Die Weibchen der Gelbbindigen Furchenbienen leben in eusozialen Kolonien © David Seifert/Pixabay

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