Red mason bee
Osmia bicornis
Role in the garden
An early solitary bee, a pollinator of fruit trees: it emerges in March-April, when apple, pear and plum flower, and can be hosted in orchards (Gruber et al., 2011).
Activity period
March to June
How to attract / manage it
Ideal for an orchard.
Practical guide
Where to find them
Near fruit trees in flower in spring. Recognisable: a small orange-red bee, rapid flight. The female is visible carrying her pollen load under the abdomen (unlike Apis, which carry it on the legs).
Prevention
Set up an insect hotel filled with hollow stems, facing the sun and sheltered from rain. Preserve dead wood, old dry-stone walls.
Sources
- Gruber, B., Eckel, K., Everaars, J. & Dormann, C.F. (2011). On managing the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) in apple orchards. Apidologie, 42(5).
Favourite plants / resources
Related plant entries
Apple tree
A pivotal tree in the permaculture orchard, the apple occupies the upper storey and forms the backbone of a whole guild layered beneath it (Hemenway, Gaia's Garden). Its blossom benefits from being surrounded by nectar-rich companions (borage, phacelia) that feed bees and bumblebees. At its feet, comfrey provides a potassium-rich mulch biomass, white clover fixes nitrogen as a living ground cover, while garlic and tansy play the traditional role of repellent aromatics. So encircled, it structures a small ecosystem that tends towards self-reliance: covered soil, pollinators on hand and organic matter renewed on the spot.
Pear tree
A high layer (4-6 m on quince, 8-12 m on seedling rootstock). CROSS-pollination obligatory: plant 2 compatible varieties. Lives 50-80 years. Tansy at its foot reputed to keep away certain pests (popular reputation, moderate effect). Comfrey in the low layer = potassium-rich mulch. Keep away from junipers (Juniperus, especially J. sabina): obligate alternate host of pear trellis rust, Gymnosporangium sabinae (RHS; PNW Pest Management Handbooks).
Cherry tree
A high layer (6-12 m). Early flowering in April, a frost risk to anticipate. Cross-pollination by mason bees and bees. The sweet-cherry tree (bigarreau) needs a compatible pollinator; the sour-cherry tree (morello) is self-fertile.
Plum tree
A high layer (4-8 m), sometimes suckering on its own roots. Flowering March-April, precious for early-emerging horned mason bees. Several species: European plum (Prunus domestica, quetsche, mirabelle, greengage), Japanese plum (P. salicina, Methley), wild blackthorn (P. spinosa).