The sex life of bees

I should be getting on with chores (and I will). But I am easily diverted by the goings on at the Bee Hotel.

There has been a lot of activity around the bee hotel these last few days. It’s all about the little males, who keep arriving and searching around the tube holes. The red mason bee males all have these distinctive white hairy faces, and long antennae. Their one purpose in life is to find a female with whom to mate. But where are the females ?

I noticed a slightly larger bee going into a tube. It then quickly half came out and turned around so it was facing the entrance from inside the tube. It is a she, and she can be seen in the extra, with a male on the outside taking interest. She is larger than the males, and with a very different head. A larger and darker head, she has “horns” which are used to manipulate the clay material she will use to build nest cells. Her one purpose in life is to build cells in which to lay eggs to ensure the next generation of bees. I suspect she’s going to be choosy about the males showing her so much attention.

A very rainy day. I took these during the dry interval.