Four species of solitary bees in Turkey and Iran make a three-tiered shallow underground nest called a ‘flower sandwich’. The outside layer is made of petals, and then a lining of mud is applied, ending with a layer of petals for the innermost chamber. A store of nectar and pollen is deposited in his chamber for the larva to eat when it hatches. The egg is laid and the chamber is sealed by bending the petals forward and slathering the whole thing with mud! Each bee bower has room for just one egg.
The sandwich keeps the larva’s food moist. When the baby bee has eaten, it spins a cocoon and hibernates for ten months. By the time spring arrives, the chamber hardens like a nut, protecting the bee from predators and from collapsing inwards.
The bees emerge only to mate, build another nest and lay an egg, before they die.
Scientists found that the bees in Turkey pick pink, yellow, blue and purple petals while the ones in Iran favour only purple!
Picture Credit : Google
