Page 39 - ALG Issue 2 2022

The Red Mason Bee and The Fruit Tree
When we talk about bee conservation, we often think about honeybees. We don’t talk as much about our wild solitary bee population when we really should be. Out of the UK’s 270 species of bee, 249 of those species are solitary and they are 120 times more efficient at pollination than honeybees.
This year I was introduced into keeping Red Mason bees. They are not an aggressive bee and rarely sting; they require minimal upkeep, and aren’t overly expensive. The bees are also highly beneficial to those who grow fruits and flowers. I have various fruit trees on my plot and these little bees are hatching and emerging at the same time fruit flowers are starting to bloom, forming a perfect equilibrium. Obtaining around 100 bee pupae, I kept them cool inside my home till mid-spring. The weather was temperamental giving
us late frosts and snow, so we didn’t want to chance placing them outside too soon. As the first bees started to hatch indoors, we moved them into our nesting box at the allotment.
The Red Mason bee has a lifespan of approximately 12 weeks of a 12 month cycle, but you are most likely to see them when they’re active in late spring and early summer. Once the bees have mated, the male dies leaving the female to collect plant materials and clay to line a nesting area. They are an attractive bee and easily recognisable by their ginger furry bodies. The females are twice the size of the male and can be
identified by having small horns which enable them to cap the nesting cells.
We had placed a nesting box slightly above our hatching box, both safely secured on a fence post facing East out of the way of predators. This assures the best chance they’d nest local.
On this occasion we only have three nesting cells filled with mud, but it was a success that all our pupae hatched and survived, though the majority were males. Even with only three nesting cells secure, it could assure up to 30 possible eggs laid inside, which will hatch over the summer and feed on the nectar and pollen the female bee has left. They would then spin a cocoon around themselves to form a pupae, which will hatch the following spring and the process continues.
It’s a cold and grey Saturday morning in December, I’m contemplating next year’s planting, and reflecting on the first year’s Mason bee keeping. They were one of the most enjoyable aspects of the allotment this year for myself and my youngest son who was six at the time and is hands on with their upkeep, so I found they are a great
way to get kids interested and involved in the natural world. Going forward, the cocoons need to be checked, that they are clean and free from parasites, before once again transferring them come spring into the nesting box. I’m wanting to expand the hatching and nesting areas that we have, alongside giving them some variations on boxes
and materials. Females nest close to where they have hatched so ideally, they would use their natal nest boxes the following season, establishing a permanent population. For anyone thinking of stepping into the world of apiculture but finds the idea of colony bees a little daunting, solitary bee keeping could be the answer as they would make a welcome addition to any allotment and its vital pollination.
Charlotte Mann
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 39