Georgia Mason

Female Georgia mason bee, covered with yellow pollen, on a yellow flowerhead
Scientific Name
Osmia georgica
Family
Megachilidae (leafcutter, mason, and resin bees) in the order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps)
Description

The Georgia mason is one of several species of mason bees (Osmia spp.) in Missouri. Like other megachilid bees, it is a native solitary bee that is an important pollinator. The body is black with a bluish or turquoise metallic sheen. Like other members of the megachilid family, females carry pollen on the underside of the abdomen, within a special clump of hairs called a scopa or pollen brush. In this species, the scopa and other hairs are noticeably pale, yellowish, or whitish. The megachilid bees are the only group of bees that have a scopa for carrying pollen. When full of pollen, the underside of the abdomen therefore looks bright yellow or orange. They do not carry pollen in baskets on their legs.

Learn more about the Georgia mason bee and other megachilid bees on their group page.

Other Common Names
Georgia Mason Bee
Size
Length: less than ½ inch.
Where To Find
Statewide.
This species flies from early spring (March) through to the heat of summer (August). Most people see it visiting flowers, especially members of the sunflower/daisy family, in grassy areas.
Native solitary bee, valuable as a pollinator.
Media Gallery
Female Georgia mason bee, covered with yellow pollen, on a yellow flowerhead
Female megachilid bees, such as this Georgia mason bee, roll collected pollen into a ball and tuck it into a nest chamber for each egg. The larval megachilid eats the pollen ball its mother created for it.
Jim Rathert
1/2
Female mason bee collecting pollen on a yellow daisy-family flowerhead
Megachilid bees such as the Georgia mason (Osmia georgica) eat pollen and nectar from flowers, pollinating the flowers as they go. Unlike honeybees, which have pollen baskets on their hind legs, megachilids collect pollen in hairs on the undersides of their abdomens.
Jim Rathert
2/2
Female Georgia mason bee, covered with yellow pollen, on a yellow flowerhead
Female mason bee collecting pollen on a yellow daisy-family flowerhead
Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.