December 2024
Even though almost all the larvae have now spun their cocoons, that doesn’t mean our work is finished! Indeed, Osmia bicornis larvae go through major life stages after cocoon completion, notably developing into adults inside their cocoons. This step is crucial because a larva that does not transform into an adult before winter will not […]
November 2024
Autumn is approaching, which means that fieldwork is coming to an end! With the weather getting colder and wetter, it was time to transfer the cocoons to the lab, where they will be protected from weather hazards such as heavy rain. We chose a particularly rainy and gloomy day to pack up all the equipment […]
July 2024
We finally released the bees in early July! They emerged immediately from their cocoons but we quickly realised they looked rather unhappy in the cages…
June 2024
We have been very busy at our field site at Stockbridge Technology Centre near Selby, a centre for agricultural and horticultural innovation and testing. Having installed the fruit cages last month, this month we put up 9 mesh cages, each of which will house a bee nesting block that will be kept at one of 3 […]
May 2024
Gearing Up for Bee Season: Excitement in the Field! As spring progresses, so does our fieldwork season, and we were all excited to be outdoors, ready to set up for our flight cage experiment. This year, the focus is on understanding how nesting temperatures affect the foraging behaviour and offspring outcomes of Osmia bicornis, a […]