Too cute... I climbed the tree to collect a bee leaving the box and decided to peek inside. As you can see, the owl and owlet were absolutely DEAD asleep. So much for my worry about disturbing them..
Western screech owls living below 1+ unknown species of mason bee.
Who knew owls could live peacefully below a bee apartment complex? Or, that bees would think nothing of provisioning their nests inches from an owl family.. I suppose this might happen often in trees but we seldom get a view of it.
One month? 6 weeks? Depends on who you talk to..
The life span of a bee is short.
Even a honeybee "worker" lives for only one month.
The spring mason bee season is winding down, at least for the bees in the backyard mason bee study. That means all the baby mason bees are either hibernating already or will be very soon....
Just an illustration of how important diversity is for wild bee pollination. Each bee has its season and its role. To ensure pollination, attract as many species as you can!
Mystery mason bees living in a bird box!
We won't know what kind of bees these are until the owls have fledged. Will be taking a sample of this very unique "conglomeration" then.. The bee experts in Logan think there may be a few different species of mason bees mashed together in here.
The suspense is killing me...
One female mason bee typically fills several 'nests' (=reeds, in this case) during her lifetime. Solitary bees typically live four to six weeks.
Inside each completed nest (below, plugged with green leaf material), is a linear series of sealed chambers, each one containing an egg atop a ball of pollen. Over the next few weeks each egg will consume the pollen ball and grow into a worm-like thing (a "larva"), then eventually an adult bee by late summer. Growth then halts --bees hibernate-- until the following spring. When temperatures heat up again, bees are ready to go! They emerge by chewing their way out of the sticks, usually in sequence (front --> back). Amazing!
Check out the progress of 2 weeks:
Why they prefer the used reeds (on the outside of the box)... I can't explain.
I have an interest in food plants. If we can produce more food in urban areas, sustainably, AND provide food for wild bees, we are really getting somewhere.
So I've been keeping my eye on berry plants this year: strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. These plants do attract bees with their nectar (and pollen) rewards, and generally require pollinators to make great fruit.
One goal of the mason bee study is to see if introduced mason bees visit berry plants in people's backyards. If they don't, which wild bees do?
Strawberries have been flowering for some time. I don't see many bees on strawberry flowers in people's yards, though. Why is that? My theory is the blooms are just not visible enough in these small patches.. The little white flowers are scattered here and there, hidden among the leaves. Bees are more likely to find showier displays. Or maybe a field of strawberries.
Raspberries and blackberries are in the same genus, Rubus, which includes many other berry plants. The raspberries in Salt Lake have just started flowering. I observed a patch the other day, but I only saw one bee. Our familiar friend that makes honey. Better luck next time...
I have seen many Osmia females bringing this bright orange pollen back to their nests.
It is very conspicuous....
These bees do tend to specialize on composite flowers for pollen (aka Asteraceae family) so I'm narrowing it down...
Arrowleaf balsamroot?? But that's all the way in the foothills... I'm seeing this pollen brought back to boxes the middle of town.
Dandelion?? Hmmm... let's hope not. Bad for business ;)
Any ideas?
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.
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!!
How to capture the beauty of bees WITHOUT a macro lens or tripod... HOPELESS?
You be the judge...
Just kidding. Please don't judge.
Ok, no bees in flight. Bees on flowers I can get...with some luck.
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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).
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.
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?
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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!
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