I asked him where his mason bee houses were placed and had he checked them lately. He hadn’t checked them since he placed them up in the early spring. We went to the back side of his woodshed and he had two of our recycler houses containing 30 folded nesting tubes in each. When I looked inside, I found all the nesting tubes were filled up in both houses.

So I explained that he needed more nesting tubes for the remaining bees that were searching for a place to lay their larva. I had some empty nesting tubes in my vehicle so he purchased some and we placed them in the houses.

This is a common occurrence that most customers run into when they place their tubes out the following year and fail to purchase more nesting tubes to compensate for the larger amount of mason bees they will have from the prior year.

So it’s a very good idea to purchase new nesting tubes and be ready for the following season. A good rule of thumb is to have six empty tubes for every full tube of bees. Probably not every one of those will be filled every year, but this is enough if you have a successful season.

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The easiest way to check them is to go out in the early evening with a flashlight and shine it in your nesting tubes. If you see shiny eyes looking back at you, there is still mason bee activity — so do not place a protection cover over or remove the nesting tubes at this time. The reason why I say shiny eyes is because the female could’ve died and her eyes will be dull. Also, if you see the rear of the Mason bee in the tube, she has most likely died too. The attached picture of the Mason bee looking outward is an example of a Mason bee that has died. I’m hoping that you can see the dullness in her eyes, but if you can’t, it would be very easy for you to put your finger up there and if she doesn’t move. She has died.

The reason why I’m always talking to people about protection covers and protection bags is due to predators. Yesterday when I was taking these pictures, I observed a few of the tiny Chalcid wasps near my Mason bee houses. These are the most serious parasites of the Orchard Mason Bee. The other name for these Wasps is (Monodontomerus Wasps). I’ve included two pictures of this wasp so you can see what they look like.

If you want to learn more about this wasp and other predators and parasites, you should get the book called The Orchard Mason Bee by Brian L Griffin. He has dedicated a whole chapter to parasites and predators in his book. This is the number one book I refer to, and I always say it’s my Bible — I have learned a lot from it. You can also go online and research this wasp. However, Brian’s book explains what kind of devastation they cause. We sell this book and also have the different types of protection covers and bags. So if you need some feel free order from our online store.

Hope this information was helpful to you and have a good day.

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Sugar ant raiding pollen from a mason bee house, photo courtesy Jay Thompson

Recently I received a few calls and e-mails regarding sugar ants in Mason Bee houses, and what to do about it. I spoke with Kim Leval Director of the Eugene office for Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides and she gave us permission to post their bait solution for sugar ants. Even though the recipe is for the kitchen, you can still use it for the ants around your mason bee houses. You’ll have to watch to see where they’re trailing from and then place it in a safe location.

There has been a ton of research on ants and the following are some other natural deterrents for ants; cinnamon, cloves, cucumber, and mint. If you decide to use one or a combination of any of these you place a small pile on the ground along the wall where the house is mounted. My houses are mounted on the south wall so I also cover part the of the east and west wall. Others put a pile around the base of the post to ward off sugar ants.

Sugar ants are attracted to the pollen/nectar mixture the mason bees is gathering for her eggs. So If you have them around your houses then try one of these remedies to rid yourself of them. It will take a few days to see results.

Again, I want to Thank Kim for her assistance. You can also check out Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides for other pesticides alternatives at www.pesticide.org

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The answer is a big NO, and the two main reasons: a fence or pole doesn’t provide any protection from the weather, and your bees will be at higher risk from predators.

I’m talking about bigger predators like squirrels and many types of birds. Blue jays, starlings, and crows — just to name a few.

As an experiment, I placed a mason bee house with non-viable nesting tubes on the telephone pole in my backyard and watched it for a month. Squirrels and birds were able to get some of the nesting tubes out and destroy them.

Finally, a crow landed on the fence and checked out the house. After a minute or so it jumped on top of the house and pulled all the nesting tubes out and dropped them to the ground. The crow then proceeded to destroy the bundle of nesting tubes. I’m so glad I didn’t put tubes full of bees out!

Here’s a short video to show the damage they can do to your mason bees. Don’t let this happen to you!

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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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The OSU extension service had a lot of information on bees which is a good resource to visit. Another  booth I visited had several handouts which i found informative when it come to pesticides. visit their website, www.beyondtoxics.org and you’ll find a chart of bee friendly plants and a time line  on when they bloom best. You’ll also find information about pesticides and how they impact our environment. I for one do not use pesticides in my garden or flower beds.

So now is the time to start looking for mason bees and supplies. I suggest you check out other sites besides ours so you’ll have a good idea of what companies  are charging for their bees and supplies. I’m sure you’ll see that we have the lowest prices on bees and very competitive on houses and supplies. Look forward to you visiting our site at mason.bees.supply

Rick

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They say the weather is going to get warmer with rain. I’m ready, aren’t you?

If you haven’t already done a final check on your mason bees, this is the time to do it.

I’ve just finished checking all my tubes of mason bees for the last time (stored safely in tube storage bags in a refrigerator) and they’re ready to be placed in their houses when the weather breaks and we start seeing fruit buds appearing on our fruit trees.

What you should be looking for is small pin size holes in your nesting tubes, and small grains of yellowish and even web-type material at the entrance of your nesting tubes.

These nesting tubes have been attacked by parasites and need to be thrown away.

Note the webbing at the end of the tube. Very likely these bees are dead due to predators.

Nesting tubes with pinholes – a sure sign of parasites.

If you left your nesting tubes out in their houses and they became wet from the elements and freezing weather, they might not be alive at this point.

To reduce losses from parasites and moisture, you should move them in the late fall to a shed or shop that is cool. When early spring arrives place them back in their houses — along with new nesting tubes. I always store my tubes in a protective bag in the garage refrigerator at the end of October. The pictures show a pin hole in one and web/yellow food material.

Store your bees safely in the refrigerator until early spring.

I don’t place all my bees out at once in case some of the trees are slow in budding. This also lets me get my berries pollinated by the later mason bees.

I have planted five Pieris that bloom in the very early spring around my property which the mason bees love to feed on. There are other spring plants that mason bees like — so check with your local nursery for a detailed list. I use Johnson Brothers nursery in Coburg, Oregon.

If you haven’t heard about mason bees and you’re into gardening then check out our online store. We would be happy to get you started with raising your own mason bees.

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