Building nesting tubes for solitary bees is easy…
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!”
Bug Guide, “It might be a chrysidid.
I’ve taken a short video of the Osmia aglaia/green sweat bee/cuckoo wasp for you to decide for yourselves…
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 