Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests , which are made in naturally occurring gaps such as between cracks in stones or other small dark cavities.
Not every bee lives in a hive and makes honey. But some of those other bees are necessary for a healthy garden. Mason bees, for instance, are small native bees with 150 species found in North America.
A leaf-cutter bee showing abdominal scopa. Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees.Characteristic traits of this family are the restriction of their pollen-carrying structure (called a scopa) to the ventral surface of the abdomen (rather than mostly or exclusively on the hind legs as in other bee families), and their typically elongated labrum. [1]
Honey is a natural product produced by bees and stored for their own use, but its sweetness has always appealed to humans. Before domestication of bees was even attempted, humans were raiding their nests for their honey. Smoke was often used to subdue the bees and such activities are depicted in rock paintings in Spain dated to 15,000 BC. [102]
Bees and other insects (and birds!) are important pollinators in our ecosystem. Here's why. Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ...
Osmia californica is a megachilid bee, or mason bee. Native to North America, the mason bees are important pollinators, with O. california pollinating over 33 genera from 13 plant families. [1] O. californica generally emerges a little later in the spring than the better known orchard mason bee (O. lignaria).
They are considered mason bees, which is a common descriptor of bees in several families, including Megachilidae. Within the genus Megachile , frequently also referred to as leafcutter bees , M. campanulae is a member of the subgenus Chelostomoides , which do not construct nests from cut leaves, but rather from plant resins and other materials.
According to British writer Christopher O'Toole in his book The Red Mason Bee, Osmia rufa is a much more efficient pollinator of orchard crops (in Europe) than honey bees. [8] Both O. rufa and O. cornuta are used in Europe, while in western North America, the "Blue Orchard Bee" ( Osmia lignaria , more black than blue in color) is a proven ...