Snapshots from Aashna’s latest mason bee workshop in Arizona! They’re already getting a head start for next spring.
Did you know that bees put pollen in their pockets? We didn’t either.
#bees #savethebees #osmia #kidsscience #stem #masonbees
This is NOT a bee… it’s a hoverfly! 🤯 They’re often mistaken for bees, but here are a few key ways to tell them apart:
🪰 Hoverflies only have one pair of wings
🐝 Bees have two pairs of wings
🪰 Hoverflies have large, often forward-facing eyes that occupy much of their heads
🐝 Bees have laterally placed eyes that are smaller in proportion to their heads
🪰 Hoverflies have short, stubby antennae
🐝 Bees have comparatively longer antennae
#bees #pollinators #hoverfly
Honeybees aren’t the only bees used for commercial pollination! 🐝 Around the world, several mason bee species are propagated to help pollinate fruit and nut crops. 🍎
Compared to honeybees, mason bees are much more efficient pollinators – they pollinate about 95% of the flowers they visit, while honeybees pollinate roughly 5%. 🤯
#masonbees #osmia #bees
True or false? Some bumblebees are parasitic. 🤔🐝
👇 Answer below 👇
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✅ True! ✅
Cuckoo bumblebees are parasitic! 🤯
They don’t collect pollen or establish their own nests – instead, females invade other bumblebees’ colonies, kill the host queen, and exploit the host workers to feed their young.
#bumblebees #bees #beefacts
Studies suggest that clover is generally good for bees because it provides both nectar (for energy) and pollen (for protein and other nutrients). ☘️
White clover is especially popular with honeybees, while red clover is great for bumblebees because its flowers are better suited to longer-tongued bees. 🤍❤️
Some clovers can bloom over an extended period, meaning they may keep producing flowers from late spring into summer instead of blooming all at once and disappearing quickly. When left unmowed and pesticide-free, clover can provide bees with a dependable source of nectar and pollen over a longer period of time. 🐝
#bees #bumblebees #honeybees
Did you know? 🔎 There’s a GREEN carpenter bee! 🤯 Here are some fun facts about this species:
💚 They’re metallic green in color, although they may appear purplish or bluish from some angles
💚 They’re one of the largest native bees in southern Australia (at nearly 2 cm (0.79 in)
💚 They’re important pollinators for several species of Australian native plants
💚 They nest by hollowing out stalks of grasstrees (succulent flowering plants) or soft-wooded plants
#bees #Xylocopa #carpenterbee
Meet the blue orchard bee! 💙🐝
Blue orchard bees are actually divided into two subspecies, separated by the Rocky Mountains. ⛰️ The western subspecies is Osmia lignaria propinqua, and the eastern subspecies is Osmia lignaria lignaria.
The one in this photo is the eastern blue orchard bee – a native North American mason bee that nests in natural holes, hollow reeds, and other small cavities instead of living in a hive. 🏠
📷: @nativebeegarden (Mark Chao)
#osmia #bees #beephotography
This is a mason bee, and she’s working on her nest! 🐝
Unlike honeybees, mason bees don’t live in hives – they make their nests in naturally occurring gaps like cracks in stones, hollow stems or holes in wood, or other small dark cavities. 🏠
Mason bees get their name from their habit of using mud, clay, or chewed plant material as “masonry” to construct their nest cells. 🧱
Once she lays her eggs, she plugs the entrance so her brood will remain protected until they’re ready to emerge in spring. 🌸
#masonbees #osmia #bees
It’s true – Western honey bees are NOT native to North America! 🤯 They were brought over by European colonists in the 1600s for honey and wax production.
Here are several other bee species that aren’t native to North America:
🐝 Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee – Native to Europe, this species was deliberately imported to North America to pollinate food crops, but has since become feral and widespread.
🐝 European Wool Carder Bee – This species is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but was accidentally introduced to North America from Europe sometime in the mid-20th century, likely through shipping. It has since become established in many areas and is considered an invasive pest.
🐝 Horned-Face Bee – This species is native to northern Asia but was introduced to the northeastern United States in the 1970s in an attempt to increase pollination productivity of fruit crops.
🐝 European Orchard Bee – Native to continental Europe, this species was intentionally introduced to the United States for crop-pollination research. However, its recent establishment in British Columbia may have come from an accidental introduction, likely through shipping.
🐝 Asian Shaggy Digger Bee – This species is native to Asia and was intentionally brought to the U.S. for fruit-crop pollination research. It has since become established in Maryland.
🐝 Wilke’s Mining Bee – This species is native to Europe but was accidentally introduced to North America, likely through shipping.
🐝 Giant Resin Bee – This species is native to China and Japan but was accidentally introduced to North America, likely through shipping.
#bees #apis #honeybees
