Red Mason Bees

There are nearly 300 different species of bees in the UK and whilst bumblebees may be the most obvious, others are more numerous.
Of the 60 species of mining probably the most common is the red mason bee. In our garden, they have previously nested in holes in the mortar of the house, but now thanks to a home made Christmas present there are more of them than ever
Quite simple in construction, it just consists of a wooden box, filled with bamboo canes and logs with drilled holes and watching the bees is a fascinating way to spend an early summers evening:
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Earlier in the year, the first to emerge are the males, identified by the white hair on their face, they will not move far, waiting for the females to emerge - then mate and die.
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Having mated, the female will select a suitable nest site - which, from observation, may take some time:
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The female lays her eggs in the hollow bamboo canes. She will lay several eggs with in the same nest,  dividing them with walls of mud, each provisioned with pollen collected from  nearby flowers - with the male eggs being the last to be laid:
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When the last egg is laid, the nest is blocked with the final wall of mud:
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They young that have survived the winter will emerge to repeat the cycle next year.