Recycling - #Springwatch
The Osmia Bicolor Bee only ever builds her nest inside empty snail shells (here, the Cotswold limestone hills).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmia_bic…
The Osmia Bicolor Bee only ever builds her nest inside empty snail shells (here, the Cotswold limestone hills).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmia_bic…
She forages for pollen and nectar.
Which she then stores inside the shell.
Computer generated image of inside the shell. The egg is laid on the pollen and nectar, and sealed with chewed up plant material (mastic). This may be repeated up to 5 times until the shell is full
Any remaining space is filled up with tiny stones and soil.
After sealing the entrance of the shell with more mastic, she spends the next few hours finding dried grass.
She then creates a thatch over the shell, to hide it from potential predators.
This beautiful pollinator does this multiple times over the season.
"Busy as a Bee"
"Busy as a Bee"
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