Polylectic with a strong preference for Ericaceae. Associated with the flowers of heaths (Ericaceae), especially Calluna. Also on Erica species (including E. vagans), the males also visiting the same species for nectar. However, females occasionally collect pollen from yellow-flowered Asteraceae (R.C.L. Perkins, 1945). A large Irish population on the Inch Peninsula, Dingle Bay, Kerry, foraged exclusively on Senecio jacobaea, apparently ignoring extensive stands of Calluna and Erica nearby (O'Toole, pers. comm.).
Müller & Kuhlmann (2008) list as pollen sources: Ericaceae, Hedera (Araliaceae), Apiaceae, Carduoideae and Cichorioideae (Asteraceae) based on 44 pollen loads from 30 different localities.
Pawlikowski & Kruszynski (1997) and Pekkarinen (1998) list only Calluna (Ericaceae) as pollen sources in Poland and Finland respectively.
In Spain, reported to visit Resedaceae, Fabaceae, Thymeleaceae, Apiaceae, Cistaceae, Lamiaceae and Asteraceae (presumably mainly for nectar) (Ornosa & Ortiz-Sánchez, 2004). Baldock et al. (in prep) report visitation to Erica sp. (Ericaceae) and yellow-flowered Asteraceae in the Balearic Islands