A hack saw works real well on the bamboo. Cut near the node, so one end is sealed naturally.
Cram the tubes into some protective covering. In this case the down spout of a gutter, works well. Different sizes offer choices. I thought the large diameter tubes would too big so I was pleasantly surprised to see them sealed up.
July 27, 2013…Bamboo nesting tubes, NOW OPEN!
July 27, 2013…Last year’s tubes (on top) have two tubes filled, chewed up leaves are evident. These must be leaf cutter bees.
Sept. 1, 2013…Two more tubes filled. They are sealed with mud. Maybe these are mason bee tubes. A blue-green visitor decides to investigate.
Sept. 1, 2013…While I was waiting for a solitary bee to fly in, this curious little insect strolled up. it’s either a cuckoo wasp or a Blue-green sweat bee or Osmia aglaia.
I asked a couple of knowledgeable people if they could give me a solid “Bug ID” on this insect.
Marco at My Biodiversity Garden …says “one of my acquantances told me it could well be Osmia aglaia but she was not 100% sure as it looked more like a wasp to her – to be continued :-).”
“The other person gave the following ID “looks like a green sweat bee to me”. Some cuckoo bees look very similar but of course they won’t have any device to carry pollen (compared to the female bees) as they don’t collect pollen to feed their young but simply deposit their eggs in the nest of a normal bee.”
Celeste says, “I think it is a Cuckoo Wasp–good heavens, it’s beautiful!”
March 23, 2013…mounted on solar wall awaiting the hatching. Home made wooden nesting boxes on bottom, purchased plastic box on top.
May 6, 2013…10 tubes filled so far.
Mid June…18 Tubes are filled. It looks like some predation is taking place, I should move them carefully to the house, standing them in the same orientation so they can finish their metamorphisis.
Mason bees are solitary bees but they also prefer to live close to each other. The females each nest in their own tubes and do not help each other. They only raise one generation a year.
The life cycle of a Mason bee according to Our Native Bees,A day or two after mating the females begin searching for new nest sites, such as insect holes bored in wood, plant canes, gaps in siding, masonry weep holes and, of course, Plan Bee Houses, if they’re lucky enough to find one!
Each female constructs her own brood cells using mud (Orchard Mason Bees) or leaf pieces (Leafcutter Bees) to partition each brood cell. She forages for pollen and nectar, and makes a pollen-nectar loaf upon which she deposits one egg. She then seals the cell with either mud or leaf pieces, and begins the process again, normally making 6 – 7 brood cells in a 6″ deep hole or nesting straw. About one week later the eggs hatch and the larvae feed until they’ve eaten all their food supply, which takes approximately six weeks. By late June the larvae spin cocoons around themselves and have developed into pupae, or fully-formed adult bees, by late summer. From September to April they remain dormant in a state of ‘diapause’ until the warm spring temps awaken them and the amazing cycle repeats itself.
By comparison, honeybee worker development is 21 days, egg to adult.
Females decide whether to lay a female or male egg. A female lays about three to four male eggs for every two females because males emerge from the nest first and are more likely to end up as dinner for a predator. Since the males have no other job except to fertilize the females, they stick around the entry waiting for a female to emerge.
It takes the female about 15 to 35 trips — with 75 flower visits per trip — to collect enough pollen and nectar to feed one larva. She lays approximately 30 eggs in her lifetime.
Keeping mason bees is one of the easiest method of beekeeping. What is so amazing about them? 200 mason bees will out-pollinate 2000 honey bees, they will fly at cooler temperatures than honeybees, and rain doesn’t bother them. Mason bees rarely sting.
How do Mason bees pollinate so well? Their pollen is gathered ‘dry’ on the underside of their abdomen. It’s more easily transferred than the wet pollen of the honeybee.
It’s November now. The adult bee is fully formed and it’s the time of year to inspect for Chaetodactylus mites, (not Varroa mites, common on honeybees). Some people advise to wash the cocoons in a sieve with warm water. I hesitate to do that, it seems like it might be too rough. I opt to unroll the tube and gently brush off the debris.
November 17, 2013…we pull out a tube to inspect for mites.
November 17, 2013…adults are inside these cocoons. Mud partitions clearly visible.
Parchment tubes frame the cocoons which have been brushed clean, no mites seen.
108 adults this year. They look good as compared to last year when we didn’t inspect until just prior to putting out the cocoons in late March. We have found in this moist area, the bees seem to prefer the wood nesting blocks as opposed to plastic homes. They nested in 21 holes and only one in the plastic box. Last year when I only used the plastic box there was mold in the tubes. I’m not sure if it was due to the plastic or the length of time that I waited.
These seeds are from last year’s Black-eyed Susan vine. Big and easy to plant.
Thunbergia , also called Black-eyed Susan vines, attract leaf cutter bees.
These are not much to look at right now, but today we transplanted the Thunbergia seedlings into a hanging basket and left them under the fluorescent lights until the weather warms up. This year we’ll provide some bamboo tube housing near by.
This is what we are aiming for…last year’s vine…and where we saved seed from.
Black-Eyed Susan with leaf cutter ‘cut-outs
August 9, 2013 I haven’t seen any sign of the leaf cutter bees on this plant, but it’s not for lack of blossoms. We’re real happy with the way it turned out from our own saved seed.
August 27, 2013…This Thunbergia plant just keeps growing and growing. You can see an Echium in a pot below and the hop vine that my son-in-law said wouldn’t grow, at the top. I haven’t seen any “cut-outs” yet.
This is the video I shot last August of the Leaf Cutter Bees slicing up petals from the Thunbergia as well as a nearby Dahlia. I’m looking forward to getting more video this year. Hope they were planted early enough.
What is making these circular holes in the Black-Eyed Susan Vine? Slugs can’t get up that high and birds wouldn’t cut circles.
Last year my wife noticed circular holes in her Thunbergia’s petals. She couldn’t figure out what could have made the holes. We soon found out after spotting a bee carrying a leaf. It flew into a hole in the side of the shop.
Dahlia blossom with circular holes
As I was looking for more evidence to photograph, a leaf cutting bee landed on this Dahlia plant and cut a segment out. She was fast. It took about 10 seconds to cut the petal and fly away. I was able to point the camera and shoot away. It wasn’t until the next day that I was able to catch the bees flying into a hole in the newly replaced shop wall, between two spider webs. Both spiders failed to trap her…this time.
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 