My bee box

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Jennie

As promised, here is a pic of my bee box in the rush hour.



This little bee I don't recognise - not a good pic but it had a yellow abdomen with 2 or 3 brown stripes, chunky, not waisted like a wasp, and furry. Any ideas anyone?

Looks like yours is in a sunny spot I think I will get another one..
Looking good sorry I dont know what the bee is.

[Matt Smith]

Originally Posted by Jennie

Red Mason Bee - Osmia rufa

[Jennie]

Originally Posted by Matt Smith

Red Mason Bee - Osmia rufa

Thank you Matt. Seems a strange name for something so obviously yellow. Or are the males and females different colours?

[dungbeetle]

Originally Posted by Jennie

I watched a Mason bee go into one of the tubes with lots of pollen and emerge several minutes later without any.

I'm new to the forum, so hello everyone, I was searching the www for info about bee boxes and found you lot, I've got a bee box, which I've put up as instructed ( a metre high facing south with access to earth) and holy moly, it's being used, BUT, what is happening in there, as Jennie says, pollen goes in, but for who or what, I know it's probably a stupid/basic question, so don't mock me (not TOO much anyway) and I look forward to your replies.
Cheers, Daryl.

[Kayleigh]

Hi and welcome Daryl,
I dont know either maybe its to feed the grubs when they emerge but this is only a guess..
Maybe you could add a few pics of your own to this thread.

[dungbeetle]

I just tried to add some pictures but they were too big, and I'm rubbish at anything "computer" so I'll have to have a re-think and try again. :-(

[dungbeetle]

Originally Posted by Jennie

Thank you Matt. Seems a strange name for something so obviously yellow. Or are the males and females different colours?

I've found out a little about my bee box and thought I'd share with you, the yellow Jennie speaks of above is pollen, apparently a solitary masonry bee goes into the tube and blocks off the back with mud, then lays an egg, leaves a big yellow ball of pollen as food for when the egg becomes a grub, and closes the cell with more mud, then repeats the process, maybe 5, 6, or 7 times in the same tube, until it gets to the end, seals that up, and disappears, job done.

The grub will eats quite heartily until it's ready to come out, and will chew its way through the soft mud barrier, some of them passing through different chambers to see day light.

This is how it was explained to me, hopefully it's accurate. :-)