Red mason bee

Red mason bee
Red mason bees ( Osmia bicornis )
Systematics
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera) Superfamily : Apoidea Bees (Apiformes) Family : Megachilidae Genre : Osmia Type : Red mason bee
Scientific name
Osmia bicornis
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Red Mason Bee also Rostrote mason bee ( Osmia bicornis ) is a solitary wild bee of the genus genus Osmia and the most common native species from the group of mason bees (Family Megachilidae). The German name is derived from the name Osmia rufa ( Linnaeus , 1758) used earlier . The species was voted Insect of the Year 2019.

features

The red mason bee has a body length of 10 mm or a little more and the broad, compact body shape typical of mason bees with a broadly truncated abdomen, so that laypeople sometimes mistake it for a small bumblebee . The thick, long hair is reddish-brown, but not as vividly colored as in the closely related horned mason bee and mostly faded in older specimens. In contrast to the horned mason bee, the thorax is also lightly hairy. Together with the horned mason bee, the female has two forward-facing horns on the head shield, black facial hair and a yellow-red belly brush, while the males of both species are distinguished by their strikingly long antennae and white facial hair.

distribution

The species colonizes large parts of Europe and North Africa, in the north its range extends to southern Sweden and England. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland it has no distribution limit and is largely widespread, even in higher elevations in the low mountain range.

Way of life

Typical habitats are structured biotopes such as forest edges and forest clearings, but the red mason bee is also regularly found in settlement areas. The adults overwinter in the cocoon and fly from April to June. Nesting sites are cavities of all kinds, such as drill holes in wood, hollow stems, cracks and holes in clay walls and masonry. No other type of bee is as flexible in accepting nesting opportunities as the red mason bee. Buildings that offer a wide range of nesting options (for example thatched roofs ) can experience massive numbers over the years. It is one of the first and most frequent colonists of nesting aids . In tubular cavities with a diameter of 6–9 mm, linear structures with up to 20 brood cells are created, irregular structures in larger cavities can have up to 30 cells. The partition walls are made of moist earth or clay mixed with saliva. The larvae feed on pollen, which can come from many different types of plants (e.g. oak, maple, fruit trees, roses, sweet peas, poppies, etc.); the most productive pollen donors in the respective environment are often preferred.

Multiplication

During their wedding or courtship “dance” in preparation for mating, the males send out chemical attractants in order to attract females ready to mate. Information about the regional origin is also conveyed in order to find individuals who are appropriately adapted to the local conditions.

See also : dance language

Taxonomy

In 1758 Linnaeus described the male of this species under the name Apis rufa and the female as Apis bicornis . Kirby was the first to realize in 1802 that it was the same species for which he used the name Apis bicornis . It was later believed that rufa would be the correct name, since in Linné's Systema naturae this appears directly before bicornis . In the ICZN's nomenclature rules , however, it is emphasized that this form of "row priority" does not apply; the decision of the first revising author, in this case Kirby, must be followed. This makes Osmia bicornis the correct name for the species, which is listed as Osmia rufa in a great many writings, some of which are still current today .

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  In flight

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  head

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  Pollen cake with egg in the brood cell

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  Cocoon with pupa in the brood cell

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  Hatching from the cocoon

swell

1. ↑ kurier.at , November 29, 2018: Rust-red mason bee is the insect of the year 2019
2. ↑ E. Scheuchl & W. Willner: Pocket dictionary of wild bees in Central Europe . Quelle & Meyer, 2016, ISBN 978-3-494-01653-5 , pp. 736-737 .
3. ↑ Badische-zeitung.de , October 23, 2015: Bees “fly” to partners from their own country  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ^ Paul Westrich and Holger H. Dathe (1997), eucera.de: Die Bienenarten Deutschlands (Hymenoptera, Apidae). An updated directory of critical comments. Announcements of the entomological association Stuttgart. (32: 3–34; PDF,)

literature

• Paul Westrich : Die Wildbienen Baden-Württemberg (2 volumes), Ulmer 1989 (2nd improved edition published in 1990), ISBN 3-8001-3307-5 .

Web links

Commons : Red Mason Bee ( Osmia bicornis )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• www.wildbiene.com Way of life of the red mason bee