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Size: 14-16 mm long.
Female is black, with hairy yellow-orange legs. Male has a rusty-brown thorax and a darkish tip to the abdomen. Looks like a bumble bee, but has a large eye that reaches the jaw. Much quicker and darting than similar looking Bumble bees. Anthophora is one of the earliest bees in the garden. In warm springs it is on the wing in numbers by early April.
Habitat
Many well-drained habitats. Common around human settlements. Nests in soil and soft mortr. Much of Europe, but not Scotland.
Diet
Flies from March to June. Feeds on nectar, using its long tongue to reach into tubular flowers. In gardens it favours of Lungwort, Pulmonaria and Comfrey, Symphytum species.
IMAGE WITH THANKS COURTESY OF CHRIS WEBSTER (C) 2007
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