Spring has begun, and with it, the first early fliers. Few creatures are as vital to our nature as its harbingers, the wild bees! Switzerland is home to approximately 600 species of these peaceful pollinators. While that may sound like a lot, it should still give us pause! Only about 37 percent of native wild bees are not on the Red List of endangered animals. To help you better understand and identify these creatures, we've put together some useful information for the budding entomologists among you that you probably didn't know yet.
After all, one wild bee is not like another. The various genera differ not only in their living and eating preferences but also in their appearance, even if you sometimes have to look a little closer to notice.
Probably the best-known of its kind: The Red Mason Bee
It resembles the common honeybee. However, this mason bee is somewhat smaller, measuring eight to twelve millimeters. If you look closely, you'll notice that males and females have the same brownish to fox-red coloration at first glance. The males also have striking white hairs on their clypeus, while the females' heads are black and hairless. And with over 19 different potential plant families, this species is by no means picky about its food choices.
Risk of confusion: The Leek Masked Bee
What at first glance looks like a 
flying ant turns out to be a "masked" wild bee species upon closer inspection. The males of the Leek Masked Bee have a striking white marking on their face, while in females, it appears as stripes on the sides of their bodies. These bees are specialists, by the way: They collect pollen almost exclusively from the flowers of various leek species. But don't worry if you don't have leeks in your garden: The common Masked Bee is generalized to many different wild plants and their pollen.
A real eye-catcher: The Steel-Blue Mason Bee
With its iridescent blue body and white hairs, the Steel-Blue Mason Bee clearly stands out from its relatives. The males are particularly striking due to their thicker hair and a more coppery to metallic green shimmering coloration, making them easy to distinguish from the females. What's special about this solitary species: It has two generations per year, making it observable at nesting aids from spring well into autumn. This rather small mason bee species, measuring six to eight millimeters, primarily collects pollen from legumes and labiates. It loves bird's-foot trefoil, sainfoin, hedgenettles, and motherwort.
Oh, and by the way: Anyone who thought all bees buzz through the garden in the same way and live in a beehive was sorely mistaken! The wild relatives of the honeybee are solitary, and each female takes care of her own offspring. But that's not all.
Five amazing facts about mason bees:
- Mason bees are very inventive when searching for their nurseries. They can build their brood cells in a garden hose, an empty matchbox, or an old exhaust pipe.
- Freshly hatched males usually have to wait a few days for the first females to appear. Mating can last up to two hours. Immediately afterwards, the females begin brooding.
- Mason bees can determine the sex of their offspring! Females develop from fertilized eggs, while males develop from unfertilized eggs.
- Horned and Red Mason Bees are excellent pollinators because they collect pollen dry on their abdominal scopa. 98 percent of their flower visits lead to pollination. Honeybees, which transport pollen mixed with nectar on their legs, on the other hand, must visit an average of five apple blossoms to pollinate a single one!
- Under certain circumstances, just 300 mason bees can achieve the same pollination performance as an entire honeybee colony. Or: one female mason bee performs the pollination work of 80 to 300 honeybees.
You can find even more amazing facts about the fluffy mason bees here.
As you can see, wild bees have a lot to offer and are full of surprises! So go ahead: lie in wait in your garden and marvel at the fascinating world of its probably most important pollinators with your BeeHome. Have fun!
