Heriades truncorum The Large-headed Resin Bee An interesting new addition to the bees using a Nurturing Nature observation nest box was recently found and photographed by Dr Hauke Koch at Kew Gardens. This time it is Stelis breviuscula a cleptoparasite of Heriades...
Ectemnius solitary wasps Although there are several species of Ectemnius solitary wasps in the UK, I think probably the ones in the film are male Ectemnius continuus. which according to Jeremy Early, are very similar in appearance is E. rupicola. This species...
What is the vestibular cell in a Red mason bee nest? In the photograph below you will see all but one cell (red star) has what is called a vestibulum, (pl. vestibuli). This is the outermost cell within a nesting cavity and is usually an empty cell, with no provisions,...
The mud cells inside a Red mason bee nest are very hard. Many people know that Red mason bee females seal their cells with mud to protect their offspring from potential harm and to keep the internal cell environment conducive to the success of its contents. The mud...
The life cycle of the Common yellow-face bee (Hylaeus communis) Certainly one of our smallest solitary bees the Common yellow face bee is only 4-5mm. BWARS described its nesting biology as “An opportunistic cavity-nester, utilising existing burrows of a suitable...
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