mason bee

American  

noun

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

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mason bee British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of mason bee

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

It is mellow, and male mason bees don’t even have a stinger.

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