Armed Nomad Bee (Nomada armata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - hymenopteran > Bee |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Nomada armata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Herrich-Schäffer, 1839 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | Listed as Endangered (RDB1) in Shirt (1987), a status with which Falk (1991) agrees. May need revising. |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Always a rare species, it has undergone a significant range reduction in recent decades, with only one core habitat complex now: Salisbury Plain. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Recovery depends on the fate of Field Scabious in grasslands, which is the main pollen source for the Nomada's host, Andrena hattorfiana. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Possibly, in chalk/limestone districts where Field Scabious is found. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | The necessary chain of events is to create flower-rich grassland with plentiful Field Scabious, followed by spread of Andrena hattorfiana into these grasslands, followed by colonisation of Nomada armata on the large Andrena population. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Promote the creation of grasslands rich in Field Scabious to encourage populations of its host, Andrena hattorfiana.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: Unknown
High priority sites: Opportunistic sites close to extant populations of Nomada armata
Comments: Creation could merely comprise a change in management style. Field Scabious is highly palatable to grazing livestock and flowers when hay crops are typically taken, so a change in management practices may be appropriate.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Re-evaluate habitat conditions at former sites close to extant range, to determine the extent of suitable host forage and nesting opportunities.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: South Dorset coast, Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
Comments: A change in current management may be sufficient to reinstate former sites as having potential for recolonisation, by allowing Field Scabious to grow and flower undamaged by livestock..
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Monitor extant populations to inform conservation management per site in an effort to halt declines.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Primarily Salisbury Plain, but other sites occur in Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset.
Comments: There is an urgent need to conserve those few remaining sites, so identifying downward population trends will be important in ensuring that the decline is halted.
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.