Hello everyone,
wanted to share this little mason nest with you guys. A little red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) decided to make the grooves in this table at my parents place her home.
The only problem is that it is only covered by a little tray that is placed on top 😅 So my mom made a sign for my dad that says "Don't move the tray - Bee ⬇️", which I thought was really funny.
I only moved it to take a picture and put it back afterwards when I visited them on the weekend. You can really nicely see the nest architecture:
Each individual brood cell is lined with mud and provided with pollen, in which one egg is laid. Afterwards the brood cell is closed and the next brood cell starts. The eggs will indepently develop witout any further broodcare.
Disclaimer before I get hated in the comments: This table was not designed as a "bee hotel", bee chose this spot by herself and I know it is technically not optimal. Furthermore, I am working with native wild bees professionally and did not disturb this nest (bee is actually still busy building from what I heard 😄).
Just wanted to share this as it nicely shows the insides of an early nest 🖖