Thank you dmtom for that info. I may try dusting them with chalk and find their direction in the spring. Right now my days are packed, especially since the daylight hours are getting shorter (I'm busy painting fences, planting bushes, weeding, etc.)
So there must be a beekeeper somewhere within three miles of here, then? That would make sense. I have heard that some areas of the country have that colony collapse thing going on. I guess we don't have it here (got lots of bees.)
mason bees..
They could be wild. The mother of all my swarms live in an old water heater.
Well maybe they are wild. And that's okay since they seem healthy and they work hard. : )
This message was edited Nov 16, 2010 9:59 AM
Dennis in Grapevine, Tx.
Great bee house you have made for your Mason Bees. I live in Oregon and just found out I can buy them locally from a Home Orchard Society not too far from here. I am gathering up supplies. 3 inch pvc pipe is what I read somewhere that some folks use to put the straws in.
Your wooden protective house is perfect! I was wondering if you have a pattern for that? Or instructions, or a step by step diagram of how to make one?
Also I was wondering what sun exposure did you face it into? East for morning sun?
Thanks For Your Help,
Diana
Mine is facing south, but it is in an area that is partially shaded by my house and some trees, so it doesn't get totally blasted by the sun.
I'm glad you like the bee house, but unfortunately I don't have any plans for it. I just took some scrap wood I had lying around and hacked it together. You could probably find plans for something like a bird feeder, and modify them for your needs.
Dennis, I'll study your picture more and see if I can come up with something. I see how you have put little blocks of wood in there to keep the tube from rolling around. It would have to be quite deep. Probably I'll have to get some 1" X 10" material.
Thanks Tom, for finding those instructions. The wood blocks were the traditional mason bee houses, but I see now that people have gone to the tube and straw method for ease of keeping it fresh for next years generation.
Mites are apparently a huge issue now, I was online last night and found a U-tube video of Bee Cleaning. This one was some folks in Canada that actually remove all the bee cocoons from the bee houses, and sift out the mite plugs and mud plugs,then they put some sand in a jar and the bee cocoons in there and swish it around a few times. The theory being that the mite material is removed from the cocoon casings and the bees have a better chance next season for being disease free.
That does seem like a fair amount of trouble to go to and I'd be afraid I was damaging the cocoons by disturbing them. I'll have to do some more checking locally to see if others in this area are doing the washing here. In the video they said the other way of washing, is with bleach in water, rolling the cocoons in the bleach water and laying them out to dry.
After these "washing" methods, the cocoons are put loose on a tray of open corregated cardboard and covered, but with openings for the bees to emerge in the spring. This is set out near the nest box with the fresh empty straw tubes in place for next years bees to lay eggs in.
I think just supplying fresh straws each year is a big help to them, as far as keeping things clean and reducing mite populations. That might be enough in many areas, without the washing. I'm going to check in with this Orchard Society and see what they say about the need for washing.
I know the domestic honeybees are in big trouble with mites and diseases, I was hoping maybe the mason bees were less disease prone. I will try to find out more about this. For now I'll get my bee habitat started and take it from there.
Always a new Adventure...
I am not precise enough to drill the holes so I will buy a premade structure and straws. I love the discussions on here and admire anyone who would wash bee cocoons. New replacement straws is about as far as I am willing to go.
C