Category Archives: Gardening

Mock-orange scissor bee (Chelostoma philadelphi)

Some photographs of Chelostoma philadelphi, the most common guest at my mason bee hotel in past years. Approximately 7 mm in length and all black unless covered in pollen. Seems to prefer nest holes that are 1/8″ in diameter. In looking at photographs online they seem to show up on a variety of flowers (perhaps with preference for asters), but females are reported (Sedivy et al. 2008) to collect only Philadelphus pollen for use in nest provisions for her brood.  

Chelostoma philadelphi in flight
Chelostoma philadelphi with pollen load
Chelostoma philadelphi
Chelostoma philadelphi
Chelostoma philadelphi covered with pollen

Welcoming native bees

I gave a Zoom lecture last night on why people should care about native bees, and promised the audience (friends of Belmont Hills Library, in Bala Cynwyd, PA) that I’d share some links, photographs, and answers to some of the questions at the end. If you have any lingering questions or thoughts, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Good luck attracting bees, and thanks again for the invitation.

My blog posts I referenced

Links of interest

Articles

Bee books

Answers to questions

  • Good native ground cover to replace English ivy? A: golden groundsel (Packera aurea).
  • Honey from any native bees? A: yes, from stingless bees. I have a few photographs from Costa Rica and Mexico. It’s more liquidy than European honey bee honey.
  • Are yellow jackets wasps or bees? A: wasps
  • How deep do ground-nesting bees dig? A: I looked up the record and in some species the tunnels can extend down 10 feet or more. But 12 to 18″ is more typical.
  • Do figs actually eat wasps? A: Figs in the wild are pollinated by wasps, but as I mentioned, the varieties we grow in the United States don’t require pollination, so the crunch is not due to wasps within. Fig and biology fans should read Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers: the Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees.
  • Is it worth keeping hostas in pots for leafcutter bees A: It is never worth keeping hostas alive for any reason. But leafcutter bees will use them, I’ve read.

Photographs I showed or meant to show

For more photographs of bees (and wasps), my full collection is on SmugMug.

#BeeBest