Red Mason bee, Osmia bicornis, Osmia leaiana cocoons and a leafcutter bee cell to compare Lined next to each other for comparison, with the pesto bee! Osmia leaiana cocoon left inside its cell in situ and the other two added. As with other solitary bee cocoons,...
Managing Solitary bees in my garden I am regularly asked why do I manage my solitary bees instead of just leaving them outdoors like most other people inside their bee house. I find it absolutely fascinating, educational and interesting. I have learnt so much about...
Reasons to remove your solitary bee nest boxes 1. Parasitoids wasps, e.g. Monodontomerus This Nurturing Nature Orchard solitary bee nest box was completely full of Red Mason bee larvae, when in my own garden a short while after this photograph was taken. The larvae...
Are honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees safe from the Asian Hornet? The Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina, or yellow legged hornet, is the first invasive predator of honeybees and has now arrived in the UK. It is known to have caused serious problems for European...
Do female solitary bees give ‘hands-off’ signals to harassing males? Female solitary bees are accosted by males especially if they believe her to be receptive. Fertilised females are very busy with the physical and time demands of collecting pollen or...
Why did you buy your bee home? There has been a surge in the number and designs of bee houses (they are not hotels!) you can buy in garden centres. Alas many of them were designed for the wrong reasons. Some designs just don’t work, have harmful or minimal outputs for...
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