Has anyone seen this before?
A friend sent me some pictures after checking her bee hotel of a ball of Osmia bicornis that appeared to be resting together and waiting out the cold weather. It was a sunny day so my friend removed the tray and put it in the sun and pretty soon the bees warmed up and flew off. However she noticed that as soon as she put the bee box back together the bees returned to the same spot and resumed their ball like behaviour.
Is this commonly recorded in O bicornis when the weather isnt 100% favourable?
Many thanks
C
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From Andrew Green on the Facebook UK bees Wasps and Ants Group:
I had a picture sent to me yesterday by Colin Carpenter of this behaviour. A cluster of Osmia crammed into a crevice in an oak tree. iRecorded.
Further to above, I have not seen clustering behaviour in male Osmia, but I have seen it in in male Lasioglossum calcetaum. Overnight and inclement weather roosts of various male bees are well documented, although I can't say whether or not this has been specifically noted before for Osmia bicornis.
There is a nice case study here: http://www.wbrc.org.uk/WORCRECD/issue_31/Scott_Jane--Observation_of_solitary_bees_in_a_garden_at_Astley_Burf.html
Many thanks for the replies.