Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Megachilidae Scientific name Osmia avosetta | Phylum Arthropoda Order Hymenoptera Genus Osmia Rank Species | |
Similar Mason bee, Osmiini, Osmia ribifloris, Osmia latreillei, Osmia atriventris | ||
Osmia avosetta is a species of mason bee. It is solitary by nature, and is unique in its use of flower petals to construct nests for its larvae.
The female O. avosetta digs shallow tunnels in the ground consisting of one or two chambers, each of which it then covers with flower petals glued together with mud. It then places larval food in each chamber and seals it with soil and by folding the petals over. The cell hardens to form protection for the larva against predation and weather. This behavior was first observed in 2009, by two research groups working separately in the mountains of Turkey and Iran. Jerome Rozen, curator in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History discovered their nest-building habits while in the field in Turkey. On the same day, another team that was studying the bees in Iran made exactly the same discovery. Both teams co-published their findings.