Polylectic: In Germany, Westrich (1989) listing pollen sources in the families Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae, Onagraceae and Plantaginaceae. Pollen sources not known in Britain.
Flowers visited in GB: Reseda (Resedaceae); Ononis, Lotus corniculatus, L. uliginosus (Fabaceae); Rubus (Rosaceae);Eryngium maritimum, Heracleum sphondylium (Apiaceae); Echium (Boraginaceae); Campanula trachelium (Campanulaceae); Senecio, Cirsium vulgare and Centaurea nigra (Asteraceae);
Banaszak & Romasenko (1998), copied by Stanisavljevic (2000), state that the species prefers Asteraceae and Fabaceae (an assertion repeated by Ivanov et al., 2005) lisiting the genera: Helianthus, Cirsium, Senecio, Onopordon, Lathyrus, Trifolium, Vicia, Medicago, Astragalus, Ononis
In parts of the former U.S.S.R. it is an important pollinator of Helianthus annuus, seed lucerne, cucurbits and other crops (Pesenko, 1971).