Bug FAQCommon Pantaloon Bee
Dasypoda hirtipes · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Melittidae
Also called: Hairy Legged Mining Bee, Pantaloon Bee
The common pantaloon bee gets its name from the shaggy, pollen-filled hind legs of females that look like pantaloons. Females dig nests in sandy soil, often in large groups, and each looks after her own burrow. They favour sunny, sandy habitats such as heathlands, dunes, grasslands and even urban gardens, and are found from Great Britain across Eurasia to China.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females are easy to spot by the golden, pollen-laden hairs on their hind legs; males are brown-hairy and less obvious.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The hind tibiae of females are covered in long golden hairs that swell with pollen, giving the appearance of pantaloons. Males may lose some of their colour as they age, turning silvery-white in the sun.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer exposed sandy areas with shrubby Mediterranean vegetation and grassland, but also occur in urban and suburban sites. In Britain they are most common on sandy heathlands and coastal dunes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They mainly visit yellow, composite flowers of the Asteraceae family such as hawk's beards, ragworts and common fleabane.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females excavate nesting burrows in sandy soil, often nesting in large congregations, but each female cares for her own nest. In Denmark they dig their nests in the afternoon and rarely leave the burrow after early afternoon.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Britain the flight period runs from June to late August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species ranges from southern Britain across Eurasia to China.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I find pantaloon bees?
They live from southern Britain across Eurasia to China, favoring sandy heathlands, dunes and sunny open areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I identify a female pantaloon bee?
Look for the golden, pollen-filled hairs on the hind legs that make them look like they are wearing pantaloons.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Melittidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasypoda_hirtipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.