Blue-banded bee

Scientific name
Amegilla albigena
Regions
  • Central and Southern Tunisia (Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid, Gafsa, Gabès)
Blue-banded bee

Wild bee (solitary / gregarious)

Indigenous and wild

Hot semi-arid to arid

Summer (June to September). Very active during the hottest hours.

Locally common.

Size

10 - 12 mm

Color

Black abdomen adorned with superb, very shiny metallic blue-white or turquoise-blue transverse bands.

Particularities

Large greenish or light gray eyes. Extremely fast and noisy flight with the ability to hover perfectly.

Aggressiveness

Low. Very timid, flees at the slightest rapid movement.

Swarming

Not applicable.

Use of propolis

None (digs burrows in dry clay or the adobe of traditional dwellings).

Pillaging

Not applicable.

Remarkably adapted to the scorching temperatures of the Tunisian summer (up to 42°C without problems).

Amegilla bees can practice buzz pollination, but available data does not allow us to attribute specific performance to Amegilla albigena on Tunisian crops. Documented local observations are necessary.

Summer wild bee; its host plants and its agronomic importance in Tunisia remain to be precisely documented.