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Introduction to the Red Mason bee
- 1. Red Mason Bee An introduction Latin name = Osmia rufa
- 2. Red Mason Bee An introduction Low-maintenance home for Red Mason bees
- 3. Honey bees and bumble bees In the UK Honey bee species 1 Bumble bee species 6 Total bee species >250
- 4. Characteristics common to Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Relationship with flowering plants The plants ATTRACT by means of colour and scent REWARD by providing nectar BENEFIT from cross-pollination
- 5. Characteristics common to Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Relationship with flowering plants The bees collect NECTAR containing carbohydrates and water POLLEN containing protein
- 6. Characteristics common to Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Adaptation All bees have Excellent eyesight Keen sense of smell Good navigational skills
- 7. Characteristics common to Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Gender Differences Males Compete for the chance of passing on their DNA by fertilising one or more females. Females Do everything else!
- 8. Characteristics common to Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Gender Differences Males Compete for the chance of passing on their DNA by fertilising one or more females. Females Lay eggs Forage for food Rear the next generation Maintain and protect the colony
- 9. Differences between Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Colony size Honey bee Social >10,000 Bumble bee Social 30 to 400 Solitary 1 Red Mason bee
- 10. Differences between Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Division of Labour Honey bee Social One queen, many workers Bumble bee Social One queen, many workers Solitary Combined rôle Red Mason bee
- 11. Differences between Red Mason bees, honey bees and bumble bees Physical Appearance Honey bee Medium Yellow/black Bumble bee Large Yellow/black Red Mason bee Small Ginger/black
- 12. Life cycle (Part 1) Hatch and match When the new generation emerges in late March/early April, they Practice navigation Locate food Mate Then the males die.
- 13. Life cycle (Part 2) Home building Each fertilised female Chooses an individual nest site Cleans the nest Collects clay Seals the inner end of the nest Collects food (10 to 15 foraging trips)
- 14. Pollination (Part 1) A digression The Red Mason female flies at temperatures below which the honey bee is grounded. visits more flowers per minute than the honey bee (at the same temperature). is more promiscuous in terms of the number of trees visited per foraging trip than the worker honey bee. C. O’Toole
- 15. Pollination (Part 2) A digression The Red Mason female does not store honey in the nest: she is entirely pollen driven and uses nectar only as an energy source to satisfy immediate needs. Unlike the honey bee, she always scrabbles around for pollen when visiting fruit blossoms. is not as efficient as the honey bee in grooming herself. When visiting flowers, she is much more heavily dusted with pollen, increasing the chances of pollination. C. O’Toole
- 16. Pollination (Part 3) A digression The Red Mason female has her pollen collecting apparatus situated on the underside of her abdomen rather than on the hind leg. This increases the chance of pollen coming into direct contact with receptive stigmas of flowers. is at the peak of her activity during the flowering of all the major orchard fruits. C. O’Toole
- 17. Life cycle (Part 2) Home building The fertilised female Chooses an individual nest site Cleans the nest Collects mud Seals the inner end of the nest Collects food (10 to 15 foraging trips)
- 18. Life cycle (Part 2A) Home building The fertilised female Seals the inner end of the nest Collects food (10 to 15 foraging trips)
- 19. Life cycle (Part 2A) Home building The fertilised female Seals the inner end of the nest Collects food (10 to 15 foraging trips) Lays one egg Collects mud Seals the cell Collects food etc.
- 20. Life cycle (Part 3) More home building The female Continues until 6 to 10 eggs have been laid Seals the mouth of the nest site Repeats the process at another nest site She may have laid as many as 40 eggs in five sites by the end of her life cycle in mid-June.
- 21. Life cycle (Part 4) The next generation During the summer Each egg develops into a larva Each larva consumes its food store moults through 4 or 5 stages of growth spins a cocoon around itself becomes an adult The adult remains dormant in the cocoon until it emerges during the following Spring.
- 22. Man-made nest sites (Part 1) The solitary nature of the Red Mason bee means that a nest box can be set up much as one does for birds. This commercially available nest box is available in two sizes. The smaller version contains 30 cardboard tubes. The larger version shown above contains 100.
- 23. Man-made nest sites (Part 2) The dimensions of the cardboard tubes have been chosen specifically to suit the Red Mason bee. The outer tube is of plastic, open only at one end.
- 24. Man-made nest sites (Part 3) Nest-seeking bees scan South-facing walls and fences.
- 25. Man-made nest sites (Part 4) With the nest placed close to a south-facing wall, 4 or 5 tubes were populated in the first season.
- 26. Man-made nest sites (Part 5) All 30 tubes were populated in subsequent years.