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Animal profile

Red Mason Bee

Osmia bicornis

InsectaGardens, orchards, hedgerows and old walls, nesting in existing cavities in wood, stone and hollow stems

Field profile

The red mason bee is a small ginger-furred solitary bee active in early spring. Females nest in narrow pre-existing tunnels, partitioning them into cells with walls of mud. It is heavily promoted for orchard pollination and readily occupies artificial bee hotels.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-05-29

Red Mason Bee

Mason bees lay daughters deepest in the tunnel

A female fills a nest tube from the far end outwards and controls the sex of each egg. Females go in the protected inner cells and males in the outer ones, so predators and parasites reach the expendable sex first.

Read with evidence →

Red Mason Bee | Daily Animal Facts