Mason Bees are Hatching!

[The15thMember]

Yesterday I was in the garage getting some of my stuff ready for beekeeping season, and I heard a scratching noise coming from the box where I keep my mason bee straws over the winter.  I thought, "Oh no!  They're getting ready to hatch!"  I quick put the straws in a hatching can I made up for them so they wouldn't be stuck in the garage when they emerged.  When I picked up the straw bundle there was already a hatched bee sitting in one of the straws!  This morning I took a look in the can and there were 4 bees in there!  (One flew away before I took the pictures.)  I believe these are horn-faced mason bees, Osmia cornifrons.  They are not a native species, but neither are they considered invasive.  They were introduced to the US in the 70's to help with orchard pollination.  All the individuals in the picture are males, which I can tell from their lovely fuzzy mustaches.  The females should hatch a few days after them.  I'd better get to work on getting my nesting cans filled up with straws. 

   

[yes2matt]

This is so neat. Do you have a favorite book or online resource for Mason bees? I've read an article or two and I need some more hand holding to get started.

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[The15thMember]

My favorite place for mason bee (or really any bee) info is Rusty Burlew's website HoneyBeeSuite.com.  She is where I got the idea for the paper straws and the cans.  I didn't purchase any masons or anything, I just put up the cans and they came.  As you can see, I don't have a ton of them yet, but their numbers more than doubled from the previous year.             

[Seeb]

Oh goodness - thanks for telling us about Rusty's site. Very cool, and was reading her blog on comb honey and someone suggested this:

"Slice figs top to bottom; place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Top with a dollop of chevre and bake briefly on a low setting until warmed through. Top with a Marcona almond and drizzle with honey. It?s a favorite Thanksgiving appetizer for us"

Now if I can just remember this when fig season comes around . . .

[The15thMember]

I found this bee and another like her on my kitchen floor the other day.  Probably hatched out of the firewood, although I couldn't find any nesting holes.  Definitely an Osmia of some sort.  Osmia georgica, the Georgia mason bee, maybe?  I put her on our dinner triangle to take some pictures.  You can see my hand in the background of the one for size reference.  She was pretty tiny.  She's got some pretty big mandibles on her though!         



   
 

[Seeb]

love the wing detail and iridescence in the next to last picture.

[The15thMember]

love the wing detail and iridescence in the next to last picture.

I know!  And how you can see the little pitted surface of the exoskeleton.  You can also see the pollen gathering hairs on the underside of her abdomen really well in that picture.  Most native bees carry pollen dust there instead of in pollen baskets on their legs.  I was surprised how good the pictures got, as I was just using my point-and-shoot.  I really wanted a good picture of the wings veins since that can be a great help in identifying the species.  I really need to find some sort of ID resource that focuses on my area of the country, so I can get better at identifying the native bees I see.       

[Seeb]

Oh yes, I notice that now since you pointed it out. Have you checked with the NC State Extension Service, they may have some online resources

[CoolBees]

Member, those are some exquisite pictures! Absolutely amazing. I like what your doing with Mason Bees. Pretty cool. 

[van from Arkansas]

Member that is so cool,  I believe if you look at the last leg, mid joint, you will see what is called a tebia spur, which distinguishes species from Apis, our honey bee.  Apis has no such spur. 

[van from Arkansas]

[The15thMember]

Thanks for the interest everyone.  I like to remind people that there are many more bees than just honey bees.   

Oh yes, I notice that now since you pointed it out. Have you checked with the NC State Extension Service, they may have some online resources

I actually was just listening to Pollination podcast the other day and a professor from NC State was the guest, and it reminded me that I should check with them, and then I forgot all about it.  Thanks for reminding me.   

Member that is so cool,  I believe if you look at the last leg, mid joint, you will see what is called a tebia spur, which distinguishes species from Apis, our honey bee.  Apis has no such spur. 

Ooh, good structure to look for, Van.  This kind of bad picture shows it very clearly.  Bees with tibial spurs use them for digging and manipulating pollen, I believe.
 

 

[van from Arkansas]

Ms. Member: have you considered a degree in Biology.  You are a natural.

[The15thMember]

Ms. Member: have you considered a degree in Biology.  You are a natural.

Thanks, Van.  That's a real compliment coming from someone like you.  I do really love biology.  I don't think I'd like it as much if it was my job though.  I remember my chemistry teacher in high school sharing with us an excerpt from a certain scientist's memoirs, I don't remember who the scientist was anymore, I have this feeling he was an astronomer.  In his memoir, he said how professional science relies so much on funding, and of course only the projects that people think will succeed get funded, which means that if someone has a totally new idea, even if it's right, they might never get to find out, because if no one will support the idea financially, the research won't get done.  It really turned me off from wanting to actually be a scientist.  I don't want my thinking to be limited by someone else's pocketbook.  I enjoy being a backyard biologist though, and learning everything I can about the natural world, just because I think it's fun.  I believe that anyone can do science, and you don't have to be an actual professional scientist to make useful observations about the world around you.       

[Hops Brewster]

love the wing detail and iridescence in the next to last picture.

I know!  And how you can see the little pitted surface of the exoskeleton.  You can also see the pollen gathering hairs on the underside of her abdomen really well in that picture.  Most native bees carry pollen dust there instead of in pollen baskets on their legs.  I was surprised how good the pictures got, as I was just using my point-and-shoot.  I really wanted a good picture of the wings veins since that can be a great help in identifying the species.  I really need to find some sort of ID resource that focuses on my area of the country, so I can get better at identifying the native bees I see.       

Try your state's agricultural university or county extension service for information on native flora and fauna.

[William Bagwell]

You can also see the pollen gathering hairs on the underside of her abdomen really well in that picture.  Most native bees carry pollen dust there instead of in pollen baskets on their legs.

A coworker (not a beek) was telling me yesterday of seeing bees gathering pollen from the hoods of cars. Seemed very unlikely to me that a honey bee would do that but I politly said "that's neat!" Now a bee with pollen gathering hairs on her belly might very well do something that strange. He said the bees were moving around like they were skating leaving tracks clear of pollen.

[The15thMember]

A coworker (not a beek) was telling me yesterday of seeing bees gathering pollen from the hoods of cars. Seemed very unlikely to me that a honey bee would do that but I politly said "that's neat!" Now a bee with pollen gathering hairs on her belly might very well do something that strange. He said the bees were moving around like they were skating leaving tracks clear of pollen.

That's really funny.  I'll have to remember that in the future if I see little tracks like that across surfaces during pollen season.

Oh yes, I notice that now since you pointed it out. Have you checked with the NC State Extension Service, they may have some online resources

Try your state's agricultural university or county extension service for information on native flora and fauna.

I did find a publication about IDing bees on NC State's Extension site.  It's pretty nice.  I wish it was a little more detailed, but it's a good start.     

[The15thMember]

I saw a bunch of female horn-faced masons yesterday.  Didn't get any pictures unfortunately.  Hopefully they'll pick my tubes to nest in.  I keep finding them in the house because they hatch out of the firewood.  I routinely give the firewood a cursory inspection and remove any pieces with obvious nesting holes, but I still find them in the house, which must mean I'm missing some.  I hope we don't accidentally burn too many over the winter.