Osmia bicornis (synonym Osmia rufa) is a species of mason bee, and is known as the red mason bee due to its covering of dense gingery hair.[2][3][4][5] It is a solitary bee that nests in holes or stems and is polylectic, meaning it forages pollen from various different flowering plants.[6] These bees can be seen aggregating together[3] and nests in preexisting hollows, choosing not to excavate their own. These bees are not aggressive; they will only sting if handled very roughly and are safe to be closely observed by children.[3][5] Females only mate once, usually with closely related males. Further, females can determine the sex ratio of their offspring based on their body size, where larger females will invest more in diploid females eggs than small bees. These bees also have trichromatic colour vision[7] and are important pollinators in agriculture.[3]
^Lhomme, P. (2014). "Osmia bicornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T19198431A21154926. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
^Wild Life Trusts
^ abcdNatural History Museum - Swarm-like behaviour of red mason solitary bees - retrieved 2013-08-14
^INSECTS - Collins gem guide ISBN 0-00-458818-5
^ abBuckingham Nurseries
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Osmiabicornis (synonym Osmia rufa) is a species of mason bee, and is known as the red mason bee due to its covering of dense gingery hair. It is a solitary...
Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using...
June. The males of Osmia cornuta often appear as early as mid-March, usually when Scilla begins to bloom, i.e. before Osmiabicornis. The main nesting...
Chrysura refulgens has been recorded as a parasite in the nests of O. bicornis in Italy. Osmia bicolor is polylectic and uses a wide variety of wildflowers to...
antennal control of aggression and sex differences in red mason bees, Osmiabicornis". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 29411. Bibcode:2016NatSR...629411R. doi:10...
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