Sicilian mason bee

Indigenous and wild

Hot Mediterranean to semi-arid

Late spring and summer (April to August).

Moderate to common.

Size

15 - 18 mm

Color

Thorax covered with very dense reddish-orange hair, black abdomen with fine light bands in males.

Particularities

Females have a pollen-collecting brush under the abdomen (ventral brush) of bright red/orange color.

Aggressiveness

None. Flees from humans.

Swarming

Not applicable.

Propolis Use

None (uses pine resin and sand/clay to build solid mason nests attached to stones).

Robbing

Not applicable.

Very resistant to heat and sea wind. Often nests on stone house facades, cliffs, or old walls.

This mason bee builds resistant nests with sand, clay, water, and labial secretions. Its Tunisian host plants still need to be documented through published observations.

Mediterranean mason bee visiting various flowers; its precise floral network in Tunisia remains to be established.