First year there was brown dust below an old doorbell hole
in the door frame, I thought: “Who has been doing this?” Then one day I have
found the culprit, there was a small bee face looking out of the hole, checking
all was safe before flying out again. A bee has been excavating the drilled and rotten wood of the door frame a bit more in attempt to build a nest chamber.
I was able to identify it as Red Mason
Bee (Osmia rufa/Osmia bicornis) Unfortunately, she never got to lay its egg
because the rotten door was not very safe and had to be replaced.
Red Mason Bee (Osmia rufa/Osmia bicornis)
The next year I have noticed another bee activity concentrated
around a small hole in the bannister left after a tiny knot fallen out. It was a much smaller hole than the previous
year. One day I stood on the porch and
saw a little bottom sticking out. Really it looked more like as though someone stuck a
black sunflower seed into the hole. I
waited and soon discovered that it is a bee again. This time it was the Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) and it was able to
successfully fill couple of holes in the bannister and one in the main corner
post.
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Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens)
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Summer went and soon it was winter, spring and summer
again. Holes remained filled and nothing
was moving. Early June, and I eagerly
anticipated the babies hatching. Alas I have missed all three of them coming out
to the world. Only neat little holes were left where they slept all that time.
Good time to take an action!
I went to Morrison’s and purchased a purpose
built Bee House (it only cost £3 but was the best looking house on the market. Even better looking than some much more pricey ones)
I installed it on the main corner post of the porch on the side I have
seen bee activity already. Soon bees came and started investigating the
little bamboo openings.
The Bee House
Success!
Red
Mason Bees approved of the house and in a very short time four were getting on with the
building work.
Red Mason Bee (Osmia rufa/Osmia bicornis)
They kept at it all June and July and were seen flying at
first with yellow fringe on their abdomens, bringing pollen and later carrying
small balls of mud to fill in the completed chamber. I watched them for some time every day and
could see that they are really good at filling holes. When they offloaded the pollen they would
come out of the hole and turn around to use their abdomen to pack it all down. In the end they have filled in thirty chambers.
One bee decided to branch out a bit. It found an old drilled out hole in the mortar between the bricks, and promptly filled it in (no excavation signs so I was quite happy for it to build there)
Red Mason Bee: Keeping to its name
At that time I have purchased another Bee House (this time
with slightly larger holes) just to be sure there was enough space for
everyone. I also created an 'Emergency House' from a tomato purée tin and some reed stalks. Alas the bees stopped
coming.
Bee Houses I. and II.
During the last few weeks of the Red
Mason Bee activity I have noticed much smaller bees checking out the houses and
sniffing around the tiniest of bamboo canes.
These bees were a bit less confident and did not do any building. They kept going into the various holes just
to come out again. I have counted three and later identified them as most likely to be Red Mason Bee males (I
noticed they had small white moustaches), they must have been making sure the girls are
doing it right.
Red Mason Bee: Mr Bee in profile
Red Mason Bee: Mr Bee in one of the reeds of the 'Emergency House'A problem arrives!
During the hotter summer days I have seen a Ruby Tailed Wasp (Chrysis ignita) prowling
around. She was waiting for the bees to leave their chamber unguarded to quickly lay its egg into the chamber next to the bee’s egg. I tried to catch and move it on but it was
quicker and sneaky enough to do as it pleased.
So there may be some altogether different type of babies growing in the odd hole.
Ruby Tailed Wasp (Chrysis ignita)
New interest in the larger holes...
Another species of
solitary bee had found the house irresistible. Two Patchwork Leaf Cutter Bees (Megachile centuncularis) decided that the house is perfect for their
purposes. They are quite a large insects and could be seen throughout the day
bringing small discs of leaves that they have chewed out of the roses in the garden below. Before they disappeared they stuffed the
leaves into five bamboo canes.
Patchwork Leaf Cutter Bee: Leaf stuffing
Patchwork Leaf Cutter Bee: The finished article
All remains now, is to wait and see if I can catch any of
the new bees emerging next summer. Or
will it all be Ruby Tails?
Bee Houses as they are now
