An article i found which highlights the severity of the problem we face if the bees continue to decline. This article gave me the idea of using bees as my focus for a product.
Television research
BBC Iplayer screen shot
Fortunately at the time I started working on this project this BBC programme was running about pollinators in British gardens which I though could contribute to my research and spark some inspiration. Although the show was predominantly about flowers and gardening it still provided me with some input and information on pollinators.
Notes/ideas from programme taken from my sketch book;
Promote insect friendly flowers, most flowers being planted are merely for visual display and do not have much nectar or nutritional value for bees, 'pleasing people not nature'/superficial plants
Creating Modern meadows in towns and cities (Idea from professor Nigel Dunnet)
Bringing pollinators to city spaces
Get bees back in the cities
Cities are concrete jungles/only greenery is grass and nutritional bankrupt floral displays which cost more to maintain than the benefit we receive back and which give to nature.
The Olympic site has created 'modern meadows' for its landscaping- a natural environment created artificially, sustainable design
Bees can fly very high, even up to the tallest tower block of flats
This program made me feel like I was on the right lines creating something designed to promote bee friendly flowers, especially by having a compartment in my product for planting and the idea of bringing bees back into urban spaces. It was also interesting to learn about how we are planting "Superficial plants' in our gardens unaware they are not appealing to bees and other pollinators. I really liked the idea of the Modern meadow were beautiful landscapes are created to benefit us visually' and also create a giant buffet for pollinators. These modern meadows require little to no maintenance unlike the typical borders displays seen around cities.
This series also made me feel rather guilty about the plastic flowers I have in my garden.
Solitary bee Research
Prior to this project I had no idea there were so many species of bee or even that there were bees that did not make honey. It was when I came across the 'Solitary bee' that I had a focus for my research and a candidate for my product. It was initially difficult when researching bees on line as a lot of websites would talk about American and British solitary bees or in some cases confuse the two or not distinguish between the two. This wasn't helpful as American and British bees have different life cycles and nesting habits and appear at different times of the year, I started to look at UK pages and sites associated with British wildlife charities to ensure I had correct information.
I found this poster (see below) which was very helpful as it gave a shirt description and image of each bee species which helped to narrow down my search. The Red mason bee and the leaf cutter bees seem like the best candidates as they both nest in small small holes which is something I can replicate in a product where as the other species nest in the ground/soil in small holes.
After further research I have chosen to focus specifically on the RED MASON bee as it is the most common bee in the united kingdom and also the most gentle and safest bee to encourage in close proximity to peoples homes.
The Red Mason Bee Latin name Osmia Rufa
Mason Bees- 'They are covered with a dense, gingery fur. The males are 6-11mm long with a dense tuft of white hairs on the front of the head. The more robust females are 10-16mm in length. Their heads are entirely black-haired and is larger and squarer than that of the males. This is to accommodate the large muscles associated with the powerful jaws used to excavate mud'
Life cycle of the red mason bee
The species has an annual life cycle. Males and females emerge in early spring (late March to April) and mate.
Females finish nesting sites in early June. Being a solitary species they will never live to see their offspring.
The eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on the pollen/nectar mixture.
After moulting 4 or 5 times, the full grown larvae spins a tough brown silk cocoon.
The new adults form in September and remain in the cocoon until the following spring when the new generation of adults emerge and the cycle begins again.
* This information is important for my product in terms of when it should be placed outside for the nesting period in June and left in place until the following year.*
Mason bee facts that might be helpful to know
A single mason bee will pollinate over one thousand flowers a day
The males usually emerge about two weeks before the females.
Mason Bees are docile and safe with children and pets.
Important wild pollinator of fruit trees and many wild plants
The mason bee does not have pollen baskets on its legs like the honey bee, but collects pollen on the hairs under its abdomen
A single bee will fill more than one hole
Mason bees pose no threat of damage to your property, because mason bees do not bore holes they nest in existing holes.
They fill holes with a mixture of finely chewed vegetable matter and clay, layered with stores of pollen and their eggs. They repeat this with more layers of clay several times over until the hole is filled and then they seal this over with more clay.
They are found in towns, cities and villages throughout England, Wales and lowland Scotland (see image)
Good quote about Mason bees from the British Bumblebee Conservation Trust -
'When you combine the good work they do with the fact that they are non destructive and basically harmless to humans and their pets, aren’t you glad you have them in your garden and wouldn’t you be happy to make a mason bee free hotel?'
Mason bees are common throughout england, parts of scotland and wales.
They can easily be coaxed into using cut bamboo stems or stiff cardboard tubing.
The brood cells are constructed in a linear fashion, and the cell partitions and the closing nest plug are made of mud.
The Red Mason-bee, Osmia Rufa, probably the most common of the hotel occupying solitary bees,likes a hole diameter of any- where between 7 and 10 mm, although a good variety of sizes from 4 mm all the way up to 10 mm will attract a range of bees to your hotel.
Cross section of Mason bee nests showing how they lay their larvae