mason bee

noun

1. any of numerous solitary bees, as of the family Megachilidae, that construct nests of clay.

mason bee

noun

1. any bee of the family Megachilidae that builds a hard domelike nest of sand, clay, etc, held together with saliva

Word History and Origins

Origin of mason bee¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

I started watching for them: mason bees, sweat bees, leaf cutter bees, and my favorite, bumblebees.

From Seattle Times

A mason bee builds the roof of its nest while memorising landmarks around it so it was able to find the nest again.

From BBC

In the wild, mason bees spread out widely to find places to lay their eggs.

From Seattle Times

Like so many natural processes, the life cycle of a mason bee is generative: Habitat invites life, which in turn creates more life.

From Seattle Times

But there was, in fact, a surprising effect: fenbuconazole exposure altered two distinct components of male horned mason bees' courtship ritual.

From Scientific American