The common hole bee (Heriades truncorum)

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What is small, industrious and constantly wiggles its butt? *drum roll* That's right, it's the stinging bee! And I'm not joking: stoner bees really do bob their butts all the time. You can find out why in this article.

Although this wild bee is tiny, you've probably seen it in the park, garden or balcony. This is because the common hole bee is a common species of wild bee in Germany that flies from June to September. First of all: In some regions, we speak of the "common hole bee" and in others of the "common hole bee". Both terms refer to one and the same wild bee: Osmia Heriades truncorum.

Name Common or common hole bee (Osmia Heriades truncorum)
Size 6–8 mm
Flight time June to September
Occurrence Frequently
Flower preference Specialized in composite plants
Habitat Gardens, parks, forests, settlements
Nesting method Nests in existing cavities

Characteristics and appearance of the hermit bee

When you see the common sting bee at work, you could be forgiven for thinking it was on a dance floor. This is because the females of the stinging bee relentlessly bounce their butts! The up and down movement of the abdomen causes pollen to get caught in the abdominal brush. As soon as the hole bee flies to other flowers, these are fertilized with the pollen that the wild bee carries on its bottom. Pretty ingenious, isn't it?

Another external distinguishing feature of the common hole bee is its black body, which has very light white hairs. However, you have to look very closely here, as the hole bee is only 6 to 8 millimeters in size. You can tell the males apart by the white beard on their face.

Favorite plants and way of life of the waxy bee

If you have an insect hotel in your garden or on your balcony, there is a very good chance that you have made the acquaintance of the hole-nesting bee. This is because the busy little bees like to colonize existing cavities in nesting aids. Alternatively, the hole-nesting bee also likes to make itself at home in beetle feeding galleries in dead wood or in hollow plant stems. As soon as the female has provided her brood with food, the nesting tubes are sealed with resin. This keeps the larvae cozy and warm until the next spring.

The hermit bee is a so-called oligolectic wild bee species - i.e. a pollen specialist. In plain English, this means that they only fly to one type of plant. In her case, these are all composite flowers. These include elecampane, thistle, knapweed, ragweed, chamomile, daisy, tansy, marigolds, yarrow and many more. So, if you want to do something good for the stinging bee, you can make sure you plant enough composite plants in your garden.

The most common hole bee is the common hole bee, but there are other interesting species. For example, there is the notched hole bee (Heriades crenulatus) or the stalk hole bee (Heriades rubicola). To distinguish the different species, you will probably need a magnifying glass and a lot of experience with wild bees, because externally the species of sting bees look very similar!

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