The Blue Orchard Bee is a small, metallic blue-black mason bee that is a highly efficient orchard pollinator, with one female doing the work of many honey bees due to her imprecise, pollen-drenching foraging style. She lays eggs in pre-existing cavities — tubes, holes in wood, and mason bee houses — sealing each cell with mud. It is commercially managed for orchard pollination across North America.
Habitat
Orchards, gardens, and areas with flowering trees
Diet
Adults: pollen and nectar. Larvae: pollen provisions
How common
Common
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