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Mason bees?

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    "I could be wrong but I'm not sure the leafcutters are out yet?  "

    George P describes them as summer bees - emerging in May. My leafcutter coccons haven't hatched yet. I'll try and get some photos of the bees that aren't red masons but buzz about the boxes.

    I tend not to worry about individual bees. They do not have long lives and are prey for a lot of other critters.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Fire said:
    What a source of delight the bees are. I'm following @Wild Edges * lead and trying to keep a log of what I encounter in the garden. So far I have noted six species of bee. Four nesting in the garden. But my bee ID skills need a lot of work. There seems to be lots of all black bumbles that I can't yet ID, small and restless.
    * Thank you to @Wild Edges for his inspiration, photos and help in all this, our local entomologist.
    I'm just glad this stuff is interesting to someone else too.
    I wonder if your black bees are one of the rare ones? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-oxfordshire-23705082 The bee book shows a stronghold of them in the south-east so you're in the right area. https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/white-tailed-bumblebees/ruderal-bumblebee/

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Thanks @wild edges  - I would doubt they are rare anything, but they are so whizzy that it's hard to spot any details.

    - - - -

    I'd be really interested in understanding more about the biodiversity log you have done in your garden - numbers of species, unusual species, glaring absenses and future plans, if you are still involved in this project. Maybe a thread on that, if you fancied it. Thanks
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    That's part of the problem I have. I set myself the challenge of only including species that I can photograph and positively ID but so many of them just won't sit still. I did eye up some butterfly nets thinking I could catch and release the more zippy bugs but I've got builders leaning over my garden fence every day at the moment and don't want to look like a nutter :#  I'll try and put together a thread though, it'll be useful to remind me of what I was up to last year.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    "I don't want to look like a nutter".


    I suspect that looking like a nutter is the leading edge of all human discovery. Embrace it and celebrate, I say. You could think of it as broadening the definitions of mental health.

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Baby bee


  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
    Beautiful 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I just noticed that it had pooed on my finger (2nd pic!)

    :D
  • delskidelski Posts: 274
    How did you manage to get a baby bee on your finger?
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It was in my kitchen - I don't know how. It crawled onto my finger and I took it outside.
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