Osmia Spp. Reared in Artificial Nesting Sites in a Backyard Environment

Controlled pollination in field cages is used at the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service North Central Regional Plane Introduction Station (NCRPIS) for seed increase of several plane species. Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., have been used almost exclusively for several years. Recently we began investigating other pollinating insects for controlled pollination. 0smia cornifrons (Radoszkowski), a solitary bee imported from Japan, has been an excellent early-season pollinator. We placed domiciles of these bees in backyards of the NCRPIS staff to aid us in providing adequate numbers of bees for use in field cages the following growing season. We used an X-ray technique to aid in counting the number of bees present in rearing straws. We also note some of the different planes which the bees visited for food