Posts Tagged ‘solitary bees’

Mason Bee Launch

Posted in Mason Bees, Videos, tagged , , , , , on April 2, 2014| 17 Comments »

March 6, 2014...Cocoons transferred from refrigerator to this "Launch Box," ready for action.

March 6, 2014…Cocoons transferred from refrigerator to this “Launch Box,” ready for action.  There should be about 100…

Launch box complete with about 100 cocoons.

Launch box complete with about 100 cocoons.

March 6, 2014...first set of Mason bee blocks set up on new shelf.

March 6, 2014…first set of Mason bee blocks set up on new shelf.

March 30, 2014...We have lift-off. After 24 days of anxious waiting, we see a bee emerge.

March 30, 2014…We have lift-off. After 24 days of anxious waiting, we see a bee emerge.

I'm guessing this is a female. I'm so relieved to see them, because after pulling them out of their tubes last year, I wondered if I had handled them too roughly.

HB says this is a male.  You can see a little yellow fuzz on the face and it has long antenna.  I’m soooo relieved to see bees, because after pulling them out of their tubes last year, I wondered if I had handled them too roughly.

March 30, 2014...I'm guessing this is a male mason bee. The males live but a few days. After they mate with the female, they die.

March 30, 2014…I’m guessing this is a male mason bee. (“Not so fast, Pat”.  HB says this is a FEMALE) The males live but a few days. After they mate with the female, they die.

A female has already chosen her first tube.

A female has already chosen her first tube.

Carolyn Prola, author and historian who lives in Myrtle Point, Oregon, shows off her Mason bees.  Her bees are ahead of mine by a week or two.  Carolyn is responsible for getting me back into Mason bees after a couple of false starts.

Last year’s Mason bee beginnings

Last year’s Mason bee successes

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What is This Mason Bee doing?

Posted in Mason Bees, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, tagged , , , on April 23, 2013| 3 Comments »

Mason bee covered in yellow pollen, sticking out of nest block

Mason bee covered in yellow pollen, sticking out of nest block

I check the bees occasionally, but usually at this time of night, they are all tucked into their nest tubes, so it was surprising to me to see this pollen covered bee sticking out.  Does anyone know what’s going on?

I shot this short video so you could see what I’m talking about.

This year’s start…

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Mason Bees…Ready to Go!

Posted in Hives, Mason Bees, Natural Beekeeping, tagged , , , , on April 5, 2013| 14 Comments »

Mason Bee Cocoons

Mason Bee Cocoons

Last year my wife opened the refrigerator to discover the Mason bees were starting to hatch…this year we were determined to hang the nests before that happened.  We ordered the cocoons from Knox Cellars in Western Washington.   They provided this little ‘launch box.’

Ready to place cocoons into box

Ready to place cocoons into box

I saw some great plans on Dave’s Bees on how to build the nests so I got started yesterday.

Saw off 1/2" (1 cm) off 2x6

Saw off 1/2″ (1 cm) off 2x6x8″

Entrance holes drilled more or less in a straight line.

Drill 3/8″ (9.5 mm) holes more or less in a straight line about 3/4″ apart

Exit holes...I need a drill press!

I hope the bees don’t have a measuring tape…someone can’t drill straight!

I didn't want to buy a longer bit, so I started with the top one and ended with the blade bit. Don't start with the blade type...it'll take a long time.

I didn’t want to buy a longer bit, so I started with the top one and ended with the blade bit. Don’t start with the blade type…it’ll take forever to drill.

Assembly on kitchen table. My wife is knitting a bee hive hat...how appropriate.

Assembly on kitchen table. My wife is knitting a
bee hive hat…how appropriate.

The rolled up parchment paper liners are sticking out.  They will be bent flat when the 1/2″ piece of sawed-off wood is fastened back on to seal it off.  See Dave’s Bees excellent video.

Mason Bee Nests in place

March 23…Mason Bee Nests in place with launch box taped securely

Grass trimmed under nests

Grass trimmed under nests to make bees more visible if they fall below.  The drones (males) will emerge first and wait for the females.  Sometimes the females will emerge and fall to the ground.

After about a week of waiting we start to see some activity…

One shy bee showing

One shy bee showing in 2nd row 2nd from left

Mason bee entering straw tube in wood block

March 30…Mason bee entering straw tube in wood block

Keeping mason bees is one of the easiest method of beekeeping.  Some interesting facts…200 mason bees will outpollinate 2000 honey bees.  Mason bees rarely sting.

A female Orchard Mason Bee visits more than 1,600 blossoms per day for about 45 days!    Will fly in temperatures as low as 50 F. (10 C), and is not bothered by rain.

In orchards with non-Apis bees, the foraging behaviour of honey bees changed and the pollination effectiveness of a single honey bee visit was greater than in orchards where non-Apis bees were absent

Mason Mud tray. Since the Masons use mud to close up their tubes, it's recommended that you provide a nearby source of mud.

Mason Mud tray. Since the Masons use mud to close up their tubes, it’s recommended that you provide a nearby source of mud.

Six tubes filled already.

Six tubes filled already.

Mason bee update…looking for mites.

Mason bee launch, 2014

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Thunbergia- to Attract Leaf Cutter Bees

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Leaf cutting bees, tagged , , , , , , on March 2, 2013| 3 Comments »

These seeds are from last year's Back-eyed Susan vine.

These seeds are from last year’s Black-eyed Susan vine.  Big and easy to plant.

Thunbergia Transplants, also called Black-eyed Susan vines, attract leaf cutter bees.

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.

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

Black-Eyed Susan with leaf cutter ‘cut-outs

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 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 vines that my son-in-law said wouldn't grow in my coastal town, at the top.

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.

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These Bees are Real ‘Cut-ups’…Leaf Cutting Bees in Action

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Leaf cutting bees, Videos, tagged , , , , , on August 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

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.

Here’s a short video showing all the action…

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Mason Bees Come to Life

Posted in Mason Bees, Natural Beekeeping, tagged , on May 27, 2012| 1 Comment »

I’ve been wildly unsuccessful at launching Mason Bees, so it was with second thoughts that I again ordered a batch of bees. I’ve read so much about them. The Orchard Mason Bee, a book written by Brian L. Griffin, says (Osmia lignaria propinqua Cresson) is native to the United States and Canada west of the Rockies….is easy to maintain, fun to watch, and they are extremely efficient pollinators. This time I wanted to avoid the mistake of putting the bees out too early. The instructions were to hold them in a cool place like a refrigerator until the days’ average temperatures reached 50 degrees F. (10 C.) and the major storm season was over. I held out for as long as I could, but when my wife told me the bees were starting to hatch in the refrigerator I knew it was time to act. We looked for a south-facing wall in full sun and placed the housing under an eave on the solar shed. The perfect place to get the warmth of the sun and yet keep it protected from the south westerlies.

We loaded the bees from the envelope into the bee house. We held our breath for a couple of days before we saw them flying.

Mason bee in final stage of sealing up the tube. Drones (male bees) are laid last. This serves to protect the females if a wasp or bird decides to peck into the tube. (males are expendable). The next year the males emerge first and wait for the females to emerge to mate.

Smile for the camera

Here’s a short video showing a couple of  Mason Bees entering and leaving.

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