The Bee Post

  The posts on the pier each have several holes drilled all the way through to the other side.  These were at one time used as bolt holes when the posts were used at a harbor.  Now that the posts hold our pier, the holes sit empty...most of the time.  During the late fall, woodpeckers fill the holes with acorns and then at other times, spiders use the holes as hiding spots.  Yesterday, I noticed a bee fly to one post and crawl inside such a hole.  I pondered just what the bee was doing so I eased over to watch a bit closer.  The bee would disappear towards the shoreline for about ten minutes then be back at the post.  Each trip saw it carrying a tidbit of a leaf.  The bee was making a nice nest in the hole and was lining it with scraps of leaves.

  These bees are a type commonly called Leafcutter Bees...imagine that! The female works hard to cut leaves to line her nest before she lays a single egg inside the tunnel.  While that is miraculous enough in itself, the fact that she also carries pollen is pretty extreme. The pollen that she collects is packed into the nest and then she lays a single egg before sealing the tunnel.  Once the egg hatches, the larvae feasts upon the foodstuffs, grows, moults and then weaves a cocoon.  There it pupates until it comes time for it to emerge as an adult.  The whole life of a female Leafcutter Bee is spent making nests and gathering pollen.  Life goes on.

  We normally think that only Honeybees collect pollen but in reality, a myriad of other bees do as well.  The Leafcutter Bee actually makes more trips to carry pollen than any other bee.  The bee sort of "swims" in the bloom making it release more pollen.  Then, since the pollen is "dry-carried", it is more easily dusted onto other blooms.  This increases pollination and makes the bee highly beneficial to gardeners. 

  I watched the little busy bee as she made trip after trip from shore to post.  Her aim was to create a nice snug nest that was far out of the way of many predators.  Smart thinking, Little Bee!