Mason bees: Osmia ashmeadii
(Hymenoptera: [Apoidea:] Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osiini)
Profile prepared by Matthew Shepherd, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Osmia ashmeadii is a rare endemic that has been recorded from only one location, and can be assumed to be at risk. Surveys of the area around The Dalles, OR, should be undertaken to confirm the survival and distribution of this species.
Xerces Red List Status: Critically Imperiled
Other Rankings:
Canada – Species at Risk Act: N/A
Canada – provincial status: N/A
Mexico: N/A
USA – Endangered Species Act: N/A
USA – state status: N/A
NatureServe: N/A
IUCN Red List: N/A
Osmia ashmeadii is a rare endemic that has been recorded from only one location, and can be assumed to be at risk.
The flight season of Osmia ashmeadii is unknown, as is its preferred nesting substrate. Nesting habits of members of the subgenus Acanthosmioides are variable; some nest in shallow burrows in the soil, others excavate tunnels in pithy stems, or build cells on surfaces of rocks (Michener, 2000). Most other members of the subgenus Acanthosmioides visit flowers of the family Fabaceae and it can be assumed that these are the preferred host plants of O. ashmeadii.
Osmia ashmeadii has only been recorded from The Dalles, OR.
Michener, C.D. 2000. The Bees of the World. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Tepedino, V.J., and T.L. Griswold. 1995. The bees of the Columbia Basin. Final report, USDA Forest Service, Portland, OR. 212 pp (Technical Report)
Nomina Insecta Neartica (Accessed 2/15/05)
Shepherd, M. D. 2005. Species Profile: Osmia ashmeadii. In Shepherd, M. D., D. M. Vaughan, and S. H. Black (Eds). Red List of Pollinator Insects of North America. CD-ROM Version 1 (May 2005). Portland, OR: The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.