Red Mason Bee

The Red Mason Bee emerges from its nest in early March if the weather is mild.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Osmia bicornis
Family: 
Mason bees
Family Latin name: 
MEGACHILIDAE
Category: 
Insects other
Vernacular names: 

Red mortar bee

Species description

Species description

The Red Mason Bee emerges from its nest in early March if the weather is mild, males exiting before the females. These pollen feeders (photographed here on a bramble flower in June) are solitary bees, the females making them on their own. They search for pre-existing nest cavities (in plant stems, bricks or fence posts), lining them with mud.

These bees are virtually ubiquitous in lowland Britain, and common in park and gardens.

They favour fruit blossom (such as raspberry, plum, pear, apple and bramble).

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)
These bees are virtually ubiquitous in lowland Britain, and common in park and gardens.
These bees search for pre-existing nest cavities (in plant stems, bricks or fence posts), lining them with mud.
They favour fruit blossom (such as raspberry, plum, pear, apple and bramble).

Details

Species family information

Mason bees (also known as leafcutter bees) are mostly solitary bees. Several collect plant or animal hairs to assist in nest construction, whereas other collect plant resin for this purpose. All feed on pollen and nectar, although some of these feed on pollen collected by other bees (and so are called 'cuckoo bees').

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!