Carpenter bees

Big, black, metallic bees.  You can't miss them!

Lots of people don't like carpenter bees. As their name suggests, they carve nest holes in wood. That means your house, fence, outdoor furniture, and arbor are fair game... but they commonly re-use the holes, too. So they don't always do damage. Consider the benefits of providing habitat for these beautiful pollinators.

Bee-world romance:

Photo from whatsthatbug.com.

Photo from whatsthatbug.com.

As you can see the males look pretty different. They are not shy, either. You will see male carpenter bees zipping around your yard, hovering, perhaps try to intimidate you, then zipping away. They are defending their territories.

It's hard to get a photo of them in flight together (mating). But here's my attempt:

Yeah.

Anyway, next time you hear a low BUZZZZZZ overhead that sounds like a couple of angry bees-in-a-bag... Look up!!

The wild ones

The truly "wild" mason bees... living in the foothills of Salt Lake City!

Today I checked in on Osmia californica, the late-spring mason bees of my previous post, at the Red Butte Garden Natural Area. They are "out" in full force!  I observed a few females going back and forth from this trap box and some others visiting arrowleaf balsamroot, the yellow flowers pictured below, for pollen. Arrowleaf balsamroot is one of O. californica's favorite foods...

Looking southwest across the valley from Red Butte Natural Area (Bennett Vista Trail).

Looking southwest across the valley from Red Butte Natural Area (Bennett Vista Trail).

Osmia female on arrowleaf balsamroot (Red Butte Garden).

Osmia female on arrowleaf balsamroot (Red Butte Garden).

On the way back down I passed a local "watering hole" (a big patch of wet soil) where male Osmia were cruising... pouncing on every female that touched down for a drink. Male bees don't make nests or live in them, so they spend their days pursuing the opposite sex and their nights curled up somewhere, unprotected. How to tell a male Osmia? Think Tom Selleck.

Late-spring mason bees

Check out these filled nest tubes of Osmia californica, a late-spring-flying mason bee. The "plugs" are bright green because they are made of chewed leaves. Aren't they pretty?

 

The second photo is the setup for the mason bee introduction study I am doing with Mason Bees LLC. We have installed these in about 15 yards around Salt Lake City and are monitoring how the mason bees do in the boxes and what they are pollinating. Reeds on the outside of the box are those from which bees have already emerged; the inside of the box is filled with empty reeds. Looks like some females do prefer the used ones!

Welcome

Thanks for your interest in bees!

On this blog I will share what I'm learning about wild bees in Salt Lake City.

I want to hear about your own wild bee observations!

I will do my best to answer bee questions. By the way I'm not a beekeeper (of honeybees) so look elsewhere for that.

Check back soon!

Laura