Osmia cornuta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Osmia cornuta, the European orchard bee, is a species of bee in the genus Osmia. 10–15 mm. Males with conspicuously hairy faces. Females are unmistakable due to the black hair on the head and thorax, the rust-red hairy abdomen and the horned head shield.
Osmia cornuta is known in North Africa from Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. In Eurasia from Portugal through southern and central Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus to Southeast Kazakhstan; northward to the North German Plain, Central Poland, Northern Ukraine and Voronezh; south to Sicily, Crete, Syria and Northern Iran. The evidence from Primorye is based on an error. The species was introduced to the United States for pollination purposes, but there are no reports of viable populations in the wild. Recorded from all federal states in Germany and Austria with the exception of Schleswig-Holstein. In Germany more common in the south... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Orchard Bee sighting in London on a given day, based on 65 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 405th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Orchard Bee in London on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Orchard Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
21st of 23
Of the 23 cities where we can rate European Orchard Bee sightings, London ranks 21st at about 10%. The best odds are in Sofia (Bulgaria, about 20%), Budapest (Hungary, about 20%) and Berlin (Germany, about 20%).
Same genus: Osmia
The closest relatives of the European Orchard Bee that you can see in London (genus Osmia, Mason Bees) are Red Mason Bee (about 10%) and Blue Mason Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Orchard Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in London (65 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
