Little solitary bee timidly coming out of mason bee block

[SoneWorld27]

Did He Just... Crap On Your Finger????

[solitarybee]

@SoneWorld27 - it's not ingratitude Miss Sone - it's 10 months stuck in in a tunnel and a cocoon without having the opportunity to go to the bathroom. Anyway getting cr*p from a desperate pollen eating vegetarian is much less disconcerting than that of a carnivore. :)

[SoneWorld27]

@solitarybee Lmao... Anyways, Nice Channel! Bee Is So Cute!

[hutchingsbeeservice]

The meconium is natural in a lot of animals upon first emergence/birth, same as us humans. After a long time in the cocoon stage metamorphosing, the metabolic changes create wastes. This meconium is the evidence for this. Whilst in the larval stage, the first few ecdysal moults does not even have them produce an outlet/anus until the final moult, they only have a mouth. Then comes a mass defecation before spinning their cocoons before a long diapause state before emergence next Spring.

[solitarybee]

@hutchingsbeeservice thanks for the technical terms and explanations Gord (& Norm).

[robomantis]

Why do they poop when they leave? Other than just getting the junk out if their system. Does it have a purpose like scent marking?

[solitarybee]

@robomantis as Gord of Hutchingsbeeservice comments confirms (above) - from end of June/July when they start their cocoons til March/April (c.9 months), they've not had the space to dump their stuff... so it's almost their first reflex after emerging. Interestingly that you mention scent though - if you think about it, the smell of the meconium could serve as a signal to females looking to nest that the locality is safe. I have spread it on a new drill block & bees began nesting after 90mins.

[robomantis]

@solitarybee Interesting you say that 90 minutes later after you put the poop on a block that they started nesting. My bees pooped on the hatching container and it attracted like 5 local mason bees.

[eccentricoldcow]

Hey hey!!! hello little solitary bee.This is SMASHING!!!Great video Mr SB.So clear,& very amusing.Maybe he wonders why he’s indoors.Cute,although I dislike that word, endearing sounds better.Lovely to see,breath of fresh air and normality amidst the mad World. So many people don't even know these little sweeties exist nor care. Thank God for little insects, they are natural beings with one aim, as you say, looking for a date,and then you're out. Ha ha

[solitarybee]

@eccentricoldcow thanks Annette. This little male (as do the rest) often check out the world they emerge into before deciding to leave the tunnel and fly off in search of 'animal love'.

[mbhsug]

What a great video!

[solitarybee]

@mbhsug thanks - this moment (and getting all of the sequence) was precious! Plus it was the first time that I was fairly sure that I had the Osmia rufa species - they are almost half the size of my main Osmia cornuta population.