Best time to see: late Mar to early Jun
Key facts
A solitary (i.e each female has its own nest) bee covered with gingery hairs, important as a pollinator of fruit trees
Widespread across England and lowland Scotland
Nest readily in artificial homes such as short lengths of cane or 6 mm to 10 mm holes drilled in blocks of wood
Recognition
Females are up to 16 mm long, covered with reddish-brown hairs
Males are smaller, with a tuft of white hairs on the front of the head
Lifecycle
Females build nests in spring in existing holes in wood or masonry, or in plant stems
They lays eggs in a series of cells lined with mud and separated by mud walls, providing pollen as food
Young eat the food during the summer, then spin a cocoon and pupate, over-wintering as adults to emerge in spring
© Peter Harvey