“She is nicknamed the ‘witch bee’ as after laying each egg she seals up the shell and then hides it under a pile of tiny sticks. “Like Goldilocks with her porridge testing, the female two-coloured mason bee will check lots of empty shells in the grassland, some are too big, some are too small or damaged, until she finds just the right one within which to lay her egg. Speaking about capturing the mason bee, producer Nicolas Gates said: “The two-coloured mason bee, our ‘witch bee’, whizzes around chalk grasslands looking for empty snail shells of the exact right size. The crew enlisted the help of an entomologist – an insect specialist – and used a macro lens to effectively capture the bee’s behaviour as she collected up to 100 sticks of grass for her nest. In the third episode of the five-part-series, viewers will be invited to take a closer look at grassland habitats and many of its inhabitants – including the mason bee.ĭuring the programme, the bee is fondly referred to by the film crew as the “witch bee” as it sometimes looks as though it is riding a miniature broomstick as it flies with grass stalks with which to make a nest.įilmed in Dorset, the female two-coloured mason bee nests in disused snail shells which she then conceals with the dry grass stalks she collects. The BBC programme sees the much-loved 96-year-old naturalist and broadcaster shine a light on the challenges affecting the British Isles and celebrates nature that exists on our doorsteps. A bee that appears as though it is riding a tiny broomstick will be one of the latest enchanting creatures to feature in David Attenborough’s Wild Isles series.

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