The male Mason bees (Osmia cornuta) have not given up on checking out the Mason bee house.
I’m not sure whether they are concerned that the females are playing hide and seek but they give the whole area a thorough check.
If they think I am watching they play cool and pretend they are only resting on the box to give their antennae a groom.
After a bit they give up and drop down for a bit of nectar from the hyacinths that are conveniently situated under the bee house.
They may have to wait a long time because last year it was the beginning of April before The previous year’s bees hatched.
a french garden 
Your mason bees seem to be Osmia cornuta, not O. rufa. O. cornuta is much more brightly coloured — very black and very foxy red. O. rufa is like a scruffy toned down or worn version of O. cornuta, less neatly velvety, paler hair on both abdomen and thorax.
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My reply seems to have got lost. Thanks again Susan for keeping my IDs on the straight and narrow. I have updated to the correct species.
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April isn’t too long of a wait – unless you’re waiting for love 🙂
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Oh, poor bees waiting for love!
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It is fascinating that the males are around so long before the females. Do you think it is nature’s test; to ensure that only males that have been good a finding nectar to keep alive will be able to reproduce? Christina
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Interesting thought… Susan, any ideas?
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I think we still haven’t seen the main emergence of either sex. I’ve seen both males and females out and about, and plenty that have conked out really quickly. I think there will be a mass emergence of males followed by females a couple of days later whenever we get a run of a few warm sunny days.
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When will we get a run of some warm days? 🙂 We’ve been lucky compared to other areas but I’m missing some warm days.
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I think these male bees must have had a nice warm hatching place maybe in a house wall and mine are more exposed.
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It’s nice to see the bees and the hyacinths, which are one of my favorites.
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The hyacinth really perfume the garden these days, especially when the sun shines on them.
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Great pix, Amelia…
Old camera or new?
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My Canon not the old Lumix but new lens.
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Thanks for providing an answer to a mystery from yesterday – I was watching some black and ginger bees checking out an old, crumbly wall. They were darting around really quickly, sometimes entering a crack or hole but never lingering – it was hard enough to get a proper look at them, let alone capture a decent image. I’ll keep my eye on that wall to see if any have decided to move in.
I can now add Mason Bees to the growing list of ‘bees that are in the garden, which I previously didn’t even know existed’. Thanks.
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You’ll have to check out which type of Mason bees you have, I got my species wrong first time. They are really pretty looking bees. Just to confuse you I had some red tailed bumble bees nesting in a hole in my house wall last year but I haven’t seen any red tailed bumble bees yet this year.
Next you can see if you have some strange piles of earth on the ground like tiny molehills – you might have mining bees too!
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Great shots.
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Thank you, I’m trying out a new lens.
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I’d wager that while the lens may help a tad, you have much to do with it as well.
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I find I’m getting the clarity I wanted but I’ve only had it a couple of days and not had enough time to really test it. I’m very optimistic though.
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Delightful!!!!
I am also a bee fan…all types and sizes!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
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I’m glad to hear you are a bee fan too. I like them all but not everybody shares my enthusiasm.
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I expect mason bees in the next couple of weeks…Love the photos.
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Have you got the same ones as we have here?
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Hi Amelia
As a bee-lover, have you looked at the macro photos by Mark Berkery? I thought of you today when I looked at his photos of a Leaf-cutter Bee at http://beingmark.com/2013/03/25/adventures-after-dark/
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Thanks for that Sue. Really amazing photographs. I love the idea of him sneaking up to the roosting bees! I’m now following him but hadn’t seen his photographs before.
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Very nice photos, have you got a macro lens now.
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Yes.
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Well done and can you give a little appraisal of it ? specifications, how easy it is to use, comparative photos etc, would make an interesting blog for a photographer.
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You can have a shot of it, if you want.
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