MASON BEE. A bee of the sub-family Osmihne of the family 1\legaehilidle; especially in the United States one of the genus Osmia, and in Europe one of the genus Chalicodoma. The name is derived from the manner in which these bees construct small earthen cells. sometimes mixed with sand, pebbles. and wood-scrapings, glued together so firmly that they are smooth inside. Ten to twenty of the cells are usually found to gether, and Qach one contains a store of honey and pollen for the larvIc. only one of which is found in each of the cells. These bees show a high order of intelligenee in the manner in which they adapt themselves to circumstances, and this accounts for the very great diversity seen in the situations in which the mils are placed. eeratosmia lignirora is a true wood-borer. Cer tain species excavate the pith of brambles, alternately widening and contracting the bur row to correspond with the proposed cells and the intervals between them. Others use the hol lows of and straws: two European species ntilize the empty shells of several species of eompactly filling each shell with their mils. which are placed in different relative posi tions according to the exigencies of the ease, and then carefully closing the entrance with pellets of clay, sticks, and pebbles; others again plaster their cells thickly upon the under side of a flat stout. NVilieb is slightly raised from the ground:
and still another species places its cells in von pa ratively unprotected situations at the roots of grass. The Chalicodomas make very perfect mason work in the walls of their cells.
The ftwal stored up in the cells is composed of a mixture of honey and pollen. Ilitaumur and Fabre experimented with the young bees to find whether they were able to overcome additional diffieulties in making their way out of the cell. When the mouth of the cell is covered with earth and pith or broth paper put in contact With the covering of the eells, the bues make their way out without any great apparent diffieully. but when some space intervenes between the mouth of the cell and the new barrier. the bees are unable to gain their freedom. The Osmiinae are of eompanitively small size, and are usually of (lark metallic colors. The eggs are white. oblong. and about the size and shape of a caraway seed. They lintel: in about eight (lays. Development of the larvae is rapid; they spin delicate cocoons and winter as pupae.
Constilt: Fahre. leeret Life, translated front the French (London. Ifoward, Standard Natural History, vol. ii. (Boston, 1884) ; now ard, The Insect Book (New York, 1901). See Plato Of WILD BEES.