A univoltine species; April to early August (Else & Edwards, 2018; Stanisavljević, 2000). Peeters, Raemakers & Smit (1999) suggest that this species may have a partial second brood in the Netherlands. Amiet et al. (2004) give a flight period in Switzerland from early March to the beginning of September.
Fateryga (2017) reports female flight activity in the Krasnodar region of the North Caucasus (Russia) in June.
Baldock et al. (in prep.) report flight activity from April to June in the Balearic Islands (Spain).
Parasites and predators: The sapygid wasp Sapyga quinquepunctata has been reared from Osmia aurulenta snail-shell nests from Portland, Dorset (Else, 1992; Else & Edwards, 2018). This is the first British record of this host-parasite association, although the wasp is reported as a cleptoparasite of O. aurulenta in Germany (Friese, 1898), Belgium (Maréchal, 1926) and the Netherlands (van der Zanden, 1982; Peeters, Raemakers & Smit, 1999). In Dyfed, I.K. Morgan (pers. comm.) has observed a specimen of S. quinquepunctata visiting snail shells occupied by O. aurulenta. In common with its host, this wasp overwinters as an adult in its natal cell. Specimens of the chalcid wasp Pteromalus apum, and a specimen of the ichneumonid wasp Theroscopus hemipterus have been reared from cocoons of this bee removed from snail shells also collected on Portland (pers. obs.). Also in Britain, the chalcid Cacoxenus indigator is listed as an inquiline of this bee by O’Toole (1978). A further chalcid species, Melittobia acasta, is cited as a parasitoid of O. aurulenta (Maréchal, 1926). The bombyliid fly Villa modesta has been reared from cells of this bee (O’Toole, 1978). Both sexes of O. aurulenta frequently harbour numerous mites, possibly Chaetodactylus osmiae (these are most often observed clinging to the posterior surface of the propodeum). O’Toole & Raw (1991) have seen a Song Thrush break open a snail shell containing a nest of this bee and eat the contents.
Banaszak & Romasenko (1989) cite the wasps Chrysis dichroa and Chrysis trimaculata as parasites.