Andrena agilissima is a species of mining bee. They are present in most of Europe, the Near East and North Africa and can be found from April through July. Andrena agilissima is an oligolectic species, feeding only on the pollen of a few genera of Cruciferous vegetables (Brassicaceae species, such as Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, Raphanus raphanistrum, Barbarea vulgaris and Sinapis species). Taxonomy and phylogeny A. agilissima is a member of the order Hymenoptera, which includes wasps, bees, and ants. It is in the family Andrenidae, and the subfamily Andreninae. The genus Andrena is one of the largest genus of bees and comprises the sand or solitary mining bees. It was first listed under the Apis genera, but in 1775, Fabricus described this genus along with 14 other species. Most Andrena bees are solitary and a few are communal. Description and identification Description A. agilissima is an oligolectic bee, meaning that they collect pollen from only a few flowering plants. The plants that A. agilissima collects from belong to the family the Brassicaceae, which is usually wild radish and wild mustard. It has been shown that this species has a slight preference for the wild radish plant. The females nest on earth walls and collect pollen and nectar to feed the nest and is a pre-social springtime species. They are not known to go far from the nest, but they have been seen to forage about 300 meters away from their nesting site. There is a heightened amount of activity on foraging the wild radish flowers from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Identification The adults grow up to long, with females slightly larger than males. They have a shiny black body, with tufts of white velvety hairs on the facial fovea, on either side of the thorax, on the last abdominal tergites and on the femora of the third pair of legs. The wings have bluish reflections. Distribution and habitat Andrena agilissima is a southern and central European species of mining bee, recognizable by its bluish color, which is found from the Netherlands and Poland in the north south through the islands of the Mediterranean to North Africa, where it is widespread, and as far east as the former Czechoslovakia, it is absent from Great Britain but does occur on the Channel Islands. It is a typical hollow way bee. A. agilissima needs a vertical surface to nest on and