| Osmia bicolor | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Megachilidae |
| Genus: | Osmia |
| Species: | O. bicolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Osmia bicolor (Schrank, 1781) | |
| Synonyms | |
Osmia bicolor, the two-coloured mason-bee, is a Palearctic species of bee in the genus Osmia . It is outstanding amongst other megachilid bees in that it nests in empty snail shells. [1]
Osmia bicolor females are small bees, 12 mm in length, with a black head and thorax and an abdomen covered in bright ginger hair. In the males the ginger colour of the abdomen is less intense. [2]
Osmia bicolor is found in Europe and western Asia from southern Great Britain in the west east to Turkestan, it is found as far north as southern Scandinavia and Finland, and south as far as Spain and Romania. [1] [3] It occurs in grasslands and open deciduous woodland over calcareous soils underlain by rocks such as limestone and chalk. [3]
Osmia bicolor is univoltine in western Europe and is among the first bees to emerge in the spring, males can be seen as early as February, [4] although the normal flight period is from April to July. The females emerge a few weeks after the males and are quickly mated. [5] Compared to females the males have a very short life. [3] Once mated the female O. bicolor seeks out the empty shells of snails, In Britain it has been recorded using the shells of Helix pomatia , Cepaea nemoralis , Cepaea hortensis and Monacha cantiana . [3] While in Europe it has also been recorded using the shells of species in the genera Arianta , Crepidula , Fruticicola and Helicella . [1] Once the female has selected a shell she moves into her preferred position before depositing balls consisting of chewed up masticated pollen and nectar to provision the nest. One egg is laid on each ball and the female then builds a cell around the egg and food provision. [4]
Depending on the size of the shell there will be four to five cells per shell and the shell will be sealed with the same type of chewed up leaf material, leaf mastic, as used to create the cells, as well as being speckled on the outside of the shell as camouflage. [5] The female will also deposit sand, gravel and soil between the last cell and the plug as an anti-predator barrier. The shell is then manipulated by the female so that the entrance is facing towards the ground. [5] Once the nest is complete the female covers the shell in a canopy of grass stems, small twigs or leaves to camouflage it. [3] She uses her saliva to bind the canopy materials together. The females are often seen carrying these materials which can be many times the length of the bee. [4] If the soil is soft enough the female may also partially bury the shell. [4] Male O bicolor have been recorded using empty snail shells as shelters during periods of cold or wet weather and at night. [3] The female will make up to six or seven nests in the breeding season. [4] The cuckoo wasp Chrysura refulgens has been recorded as a parasite in the nests of O. bicornis in Italy. [6]
Osmia bicolor is polylectic and uses a wide variety of wildflowers to feed on and to collect pollen and nectar from. In Britain it has been recorded as feeding on wood anemone ( Anemonoides nemorosa ), common bluebell ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta ), heath dog-violet ( Viola canina ), bird's-foot-trefoil ( Lotus corniculatus ), horseshoe vetch ( Hippocrepis comosa ), sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia ), willow ( Salix spp.), ground-ivy ( Glechoma hederacea ), daisy ( Bellis perennis ) and dandelion ( Taraxacum sp.). [3]
Osmia bicolor is classified as a nationally notable species in Britain, [3] although it is classified a Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and European Commission. [7]
Yellowjacket or yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these are black and yellow like the eastern yellowjacket Vespula maculifrons and the aerial yellowjacket Dolichovespula arenaria; some are black and white like the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata. Others may have the abdomen background color red instead of black. They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side-to-side flight pattern prior to landing. All females are capable of stinging. Yellowjackets are important predators of pest insects.
Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Both that their pollen-carrying structure is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen, and their typically elongated labrum is characteristic of this family. Megachilid genera are most commonly known as mason bees and leafcutter bees, reflecting the materials from which they build their nest cells ; a few collect plant or animal hairs and fibers, and are called carder bees, while others use plant resins in nest construction and are correspondingly called resin bees. All species feed on nectar and pollen, but a few are kleptoparasites, feeding on pollen collected by other megachilid bees. Parasitic species do not possess scopae. The motion of Megachilidae in the reproductive structures of flowers is energetic and swimming-like; this agitation releases large amounts of pollen.
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. When available, some species preferentially use hollow stems or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects.
Osmia lignaria, commonly known as the orchard mason bee or blue orchard bee, is a megachilid bee that makes nests in reeds and natural holes, creating individual cells for its brood that are separated by mud dividers. Unlike carpenter bees, it cannot drill holes in wood. O. lignaria is a common species used for early spring fruit bloom in Canada and the United States, though a number of other Osmia species are cultured for use in pollination.
The European beewolf, also known as the bee-killer wasp or the bee-eating philanthus, is a solitary wasp that lives in the Western Palearctic and Afrotropics. Although the adults of the species are herbivores, the species derives its name from the behaviour of the inseminated females, who hunt Western honey bees. The female places several of its paralysed prey together with an egg in a small underground chamber, to serve as food for the wasp larvae. All members of the genus Philanthus hunt various species of bees, but P. triangulum is apparently the only one that specialises in Western honey bees.
Osmia bicornis is a species of mason bee, and is known as the red mason bee due to its covering of dense gingery hair. It is a solitary bee that nests in holes or stems and is polylectic, meaning it forages pollen from various different flowering plants. These bees can be seen aggregating together and nests in preexisting hollows, choosing not to excavate their own. These bees are not aggressive; they will only sting if handled very roughly and are safe to be closely observed by children. Females only mate once, usually with closely related males. Further, females can determine the sex ratio of their offspring based on their body size, where larger females will invest more in diploid females eggs than small bees. These bees also have trichromatic colour vision and are important pollinators in agriculture.
Osmia cornuta, the European orchard bee, is a species of bee in the genus Osmia.
The alkali bee, Nomia melanderi, is a ground-nesting bee native to deserts and semi-arid desert basins of the western United States. It was described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell in 1906. While solitary, these bees nest near each other and can form extremely dense aggregations in areas with favorable conditions.
Coelioxys, common name leaf-cutting cuckoo bees or sharp-tailed bees , is a genus of solitary kleptoparasitic or brood parasitic bees, belonging to the family Megachilidae.
Osmia xanthomelana, the large mason bee, is a species of mason bee in the genus Osmia. It has a wide distribution in the Palearctic but it is rare wherever it occurs and, for example, in Great Britain it has a highly restricted distribution, although in the past it was a little more widespread there.
Chrysura refulgens is a species of cuckoo wasps.
Osmia uncinata, the pinewood mason bee, is a species of solitary bee from the family Megachilidae It is an Arctic-alpine species which is found in the northern Palearctic, in the United Kingdom it is a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.
Osmia caerulescens, the blue mason bee, is a species of solitary bee from the family Megachilidae. It has a Holarctic distribution extending into the Indomalayan region, although its presence in the Nearctic may be due to human assisted introduction.
Osmia inermis, the mountain mason bee , is a species of mason bee from the family Megachilidae which has a Holarctic distribution.
Chaetodactylus is a genus of parasitic mite primarily associated with solitary bees with over 20 species.
Colletes halophilus, the sea aster mining bee, is a rare species of mining bee from the family Colletidae which is found around the margins of saltmarsh and other coastal habitats in south-eastern England and north-western Europe. It is threatened by rising sea levels and human development which reduce its food plant sea aster and destroy its nesting areas.
Osmia aurulenta is a Palearctic species of mason bee.
Osmia spinulosa, also known as the spined mason bee, is a species of bees within the genus Osmia.
Osmia parietina, also known as the Western mason bee or wall mason bee, is a species of solitary bee within the family Megachilidae.
Osmia nigriventris, also known as the large black-bellied mason bee, is a species of solitary bee within the family Megachilidae.