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Abstract
The blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria Say (Fig. 1), is a solitary mason bee native to the west coast of the United States and Canada. It is of great interest for use as a native pollinator of fruit trees and blueberries, and is easily managed due to its favorable biological characteristics. Blue orchard bees can be purchased online for pollination, and they are shipped as pupae ready to emerge in the spring. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Alden Estep, Catherine Zettel-Nalen, and James Ellis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2013.
References
Bosch J, Kemp WP. 2001. How to manage the blue orchard bee. Sustainable Agricultural Network, Beltsville Maryland. 98 pp.
Bosch J, Kemp WP, Peterson SS. 2000. Management of Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) populations for almond pollination: methods to advance bee emergence. https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-29.5.874
Bosch J, Kemp WP, Trostle GE. 2006. Bee population returns and cherry yields in an orchard pollinated with Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 99: 408-413. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/99.2.408
Stubbs CS, Drummond FA, Yarborough DE (2000) Field conservation management of native leafcutting and mason Osmia bees. University of Maine's Cooperative Extension: Maine's Native Wild Blueberries. (11 February 2013).
USDA (2010) Nesting block preparation. (11 February 2013).
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