Scopa Blog
What Is the Purpose of a Bee Hotel? Watching Bees, of Course!
Bee homes aren't for *raising* bees, they're for *understanding* bees.
Is This a Leafcutter, or a Mason Bee? Or Something in Between?
The terms "leaf-cutter" and "mason" are often used to describe types of bees, but this can create quite a bit of confusion. For example, not all bees that use leaves are leaf-cutters, and some bees in the same genus as...
Why Do Some Bees Just Seem to Be Camping Out in the Blocks, but Not Building a Nest?
Sometimes you may notice bees and wasps staying in your bee blocks, but not actually building a nest. Here are a few photos of this behaviour sent to us from our customers (explanation below): The first three photos above are...
Why Is the Pollen in My Bee Block Purple?
Although most plants produce pollen that's yellow, pollen can also be white, orange, blue, purple, brown, red, or even black, depending on the species or even the individual plant in question. It looks like the mother bee who built the...
Why Do Bees Spin at the Front of Their Nests?
Mother bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers to bring back to the nest for their young. They carry the nectar in their crop (their stomach, basically) and the pollen in special hair brushes called their scopa or pollen basket,...