A red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) in its winter quarters, a reed stalk. When wild bees like this hatch at the right time after a long winter break, they have enough energy reserves left to take flight ...
There are around 550 different bee species in Germany. Most of them are solitary bees. They don't live in large beehives like the honeybee, but each female bee often builds multiple nests and feeds ...