Blue mason bees? (Osmia caerulescens) using observation nest box

Blue mason bees? (Osmia caerulescens) using observation nest box

Red and Blue Mason bees nesting in same nest box With Red mason bees and Blue Mason bees living together in the same Nurturing Nature solitary bee observation nest box, it’s like Liverpool and Everton supporters living together, which is great!! Besides Red...
Leafcutter bee larva killed by Coelioxys bee larva using mandible film

Leafcutter bee larva killed by Coelioxys bee larva using mandible film

Which cleptoparasite killed the leafcutter bee larva? Around this particular nest box, used by leafcutter bees, I filmed 7 different solitary bee parasites. There are several suspects that killed the bee larva, though some can be eliminated from the investigation!...
Pteromalus wasp leafcutter bee parasitoid

Pteromalus wasp leafcutter bee parasitoid

The Chalcid wasp that is a small silent assassin of leafcutter bees! I have seen this over the years here and in my last garden. I overlooked it thinking it was a small fly! How wrong I was! I never realised how lethal this wasp is. Pteromalus wasp is very small. I...
7 species of solitary bee pests attracted to nest box-video

7 species of solitary bee pests attracted to nest box-video

Solitary bees have many enemies. See some for yourself From cuckoo wasps to cuckoo bees, tiny mites and even a fly all pests of solitary bees. Many of these filmed are sneaky and fast. Whilst the female bee is out they will sneak in, lay their egg and dart out...
Solitary bees need our help as much as we need theirs.

Solitary bees need our help as much as we need theirs.

Solitary bees. The least known and forgotton pollinators  “We face a catastrophe in future years unless we act now. Wild pollinators need greater protection. They are the unsung heroes of the countryside, providing a critical link in the food chain for humans...