Mason bees are slow to emerge this year, due to the cold, wet weather. Be patient, they will emerge!

“Is the rain ever going to quit and is it going to warm up?”

I keep responding to this question from customers within the past two weeks or so.

Some first-time customers have been worried since some of their fruit trees are starting to bloom and the mason bees have not emerged yet. My advice to them has been if they want to speed up the process of having the mason bees emerge they should do the following:

If you’re familiar with Mason Bees, you’ll know that the bees will emerge when they’re ready, and that it’s generally better to just let nature take it’s course.

My advice to those that are feeling impatient has been if they want to speed up the process of having the mason bees emerge they should do the following:

Obtain a gallon size storage bag (if you don’t have one of our protective storage bags.)  Take some of your mason bee filled tubes or cocoons and place them inside. If you’re not using one of our protection storage bags, then make sure you don’t seal the storage bag completely closed so that the bees will be able to breathe when they emerge. You can also poke small holes in the bag to ensure they have some air.

Next, select a warm location to place them that’s consistently warm — like 55 degrees or warmer. I use a room in my home that’s around 68 degrees.  At a warmer temperature, the bees will start to emerge in a few days. When they start to emerge, remember that the males will emerge first. You’ll need to wait for the females to appear. When they appear, the males will mate with them.

Now at that point take them outside to your mason bee house and open your bag and release them and place the nesting tubes in your house in case there are more bees inside. However, within 24 hours regardless if the females have appeared or not return the bees to their house. The bees will continue to appear at this point.

I hope this helps everyone new to raising mason bees. I don’t do this with my bees — I just rely on mother nature.

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I ask them what plants are blooming or about to bloom within the next couple of weeks. Then I give them some suggestions. So here is what’s going on in my yard. Today, I have Pieris japonica plants in bloom and fruit trees that are about two weeks out from blooming. My neighbor’s fruit trees are a week to two weeks out from blooming too.

I’ve already placed one-third of my bees out. I’ll place another third of my bees out this weekend and the rest of my bees out by the end of March. That way I’ll have bees to pollinate the fruit trees and Marionberries later this spring.

One of my locations in Springfield is ready to place all my bees for that location — today. But another location won’t be ready for bees for another week. So, every location is different — based on the weather and amount of sun the plants and trees receive during the day.

Remember — it can take up to two weeks for the females to emerge from the nesting tubes. I’ve been watching the local weather stations and based on their future forecasts I’d at least place half of my bees out this Saturday and the remainder a week later. Again, this example is based on what is happing in my yard and other locations where I place my bees.

If you still have questions send us an e-mail or call and I’ll do my best to assist you.

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