European Orchard Bee

Firstly, I must admit to being a complete novice at bees and this find was in no way down to my knowledge or expertise with bee identification! I am, though, curious to try and identify everything I find and I have long wanted to learn more about our British bees. With the UK being put into the unprecedented lockdown surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the extra time in the garden is providing the perfect opportunity to enjoy everything on our doorstep more than ever!

On the evening of the 26^th March I was walking down my small suburban garden and sitting on the patio was one of the most striking bees I have ever seen! Quite large with a fiery red abdomen and jet black thorax. It was cold and the bee was extremely calm and actually reluctant to move so I had plenty of time to take some photos and have a really close look. Happy with the photos, I moved the bee carefully to a clump of daffodils and out of harm’s way. It happily crawled up a stem and seemed settled so I left it alone.

I had seen Red Mason Bees (Osmia bicornis) before around my bee hotel in previous years but this was clearly different. Not sure what it was after some googling and reading, I put the photo out there for the experts to sort out for me on twitter. Initially Red-tailed Mason Bee (Osmia bicolor) was suggested but soon it was agreed that this bee was in fact a female European Orchard Bee (Osmia cornuta). A very rare bee indeed in the UK. Wow!

Reading more, European Orchard Bee (also called White-faced Mason Bee) was only identified in the UK for the first time as recently as 2017 and there has since been a handful of records around the London area. It originates from continental Europe where it largely pollinates fruit trees. This was indeed the first confirmed record for Gloucestershire and highlighting further how this species may be spreading in its range.

Now knowing the significance of the bee, the following morning I looked at the clump of daffodils again to see if it was still there, but the bee had gone. That was that I thought but in fact more was yet to come a week later.

On the 4^th April I noticed a bee zooming into my bee hotel. This was the first bee I had noticed around the hotel this year. Surely this wasn’t going to be the Orchard Bee breeding now in my garden? It was! From the 4^th to the 10^th of April I recorded the bee coming and going. It filled two of the holes fully and partly filled a third. I managed to get a photo of an egg and watched as mud was brought in to fill the holes. On the 11^th April there was no sign. Its job was done. During this time there were no Red Mason Bees around, and it appears that it finished laying its eggs before the Red Mason Bees emerged as there are now many buzzing around the hotel on a daily basis. I wonder if I will see the Orchard Bee again in future years.

It just goes to show what exciting discoveries can be found in your own back garden and now is the perfect time to look and appreciate everything more than ever before.