how many of you are using Mason Bees for pollination?

billr, great tip I'll have to try that, right now I'm paying $67 for 200. the fact that you can unroll the parchment and collect the cocoons is so cool, thanks, for the tips, Jim King

billr, one thing what are the dimensions of the parchment paper that you roll up? Jim

And why would you want to remove the cocooms?

Ww2, to sell them, or you can put them in a box with a hole in it. and they'll emerge, it saves space, you won't be taking up room in the pcv with the old straws. just with the next generation, I love the parchment idea a lot, I'll have to run it by the guy that buys the bees, and see if there's a downside. Jim

AHA! Anyone who has only one box for their mason bees should get another one to hang-up in the spring because there is an overlap between the hatching and the laying. They will use the new empty one. I would think the straws could be cleaned out with a pipe cleaner and used again?

There's a gal who has a video out about washing out the coccoons to remove pests, dirt, and those that are not viable, as well.

I haven't done that. :-)

Jim
the dimension's for the parchment straws is on her website
http://web.mac.com/mtnbugs/mtnfolder/Bees/Straws_Liners.html

Dick

Jim:

Dick gave you the link to the directions. I watched her do it at a little seminar week before last. Took about a minute per tube! She puts them in most any kind of container, especially metal cans used for candy, etc. That way, she can remove the cocoons, check their viability, clean them if necessary, and she likes to give them as gifts to friends. ;) She's a retired mechanical engineer who stumbled onto Mason Bees several years ago and it's become an obsession to her. She does everything she can to show people how to do this themselves, with scrap material, so little cost is ever involved. She claims that if you put up an empty "house" this Spring, it should be full by season end (late June/early July) with native Mason bees from your area.I couldn't believe how easy it all is, and how strong the pollination of these bees is compared to any other bees, especially honey bees.

Strever. thanks for the link. jim

Thanks for the link. This is great!

Oh, very cool, thanks so much. Wish I'd heard about her sooner, I might've been able to get to one of the talks. Next year!

susybell:

Check out her website. Unless I miss my guess, she still may be doing a talk or two in the area. She's really informed and informative, extremely helpful for the one who wants to do things without having to invest an arm and a leg.

I was exploring a wild area of my yard last night and saw a Bumblebee crawling down into a rotting stump. I'm so excited to have them there - they are big garden helpers to me, for sure. I'm going to pot up something nice (and in bloom) and carry it over there for them this weekend.

Of course, I have tons of Indian Plum, which is in full bloom, and I'm sure they're taking advantage of that.

Was your Bumble rather large? They certainly look so here! Little fuzzy air-monkeys, and into some serious bzzyness the last couple weeks.

I have birdhouses on the posts of my veg garden fence. They have moved into one of t hem - the one the birds like the most. LOL - no birds renting this year.

Has anyone been seeing wasps yet?

I haven't seen wasps at all yet (yay).

The bumblebee was big, round and slow. I know they nest in the ground. I have a couple of houses out for them, but they haven't used those since the first colony I put out there (I moved it from my house in Ballard when I moved out to Woodinville).

Lots of wasps buzzing in the greenhouse, but I've not really seen any outside.

I LOVE that birdbath above!

I've just been offered by someone to have him bring his honeybee hives to my property for the season, leave them here, attend them, and then give me some honey in the fall in return for having the hives on my property.

Do you think having a couple hives brought in would bother my native bees?

First Wasps today - it was warm enough for them. Bees out in great numbers here, too.
I don't know how territorial the native Bees are in relation to Honeybees. The Beekeeper ought to know. I would think they'd all co-exist well.

I would imagine it wouldn't be a case of territory, it would be more a matter of competition for the available nectar and pollen. I have noticed when I'm doing my hybrid crosses in the late spring and summer, I see an assortment of wasps and bees working the flowers. and I see huge quantities of natives working the raspberries when they flower. let me know how incorporating the hives works for you, Jim

It would be interesting to note the difference between the bees as to effectiveness of pollination. In the seminar I attended on Mason Bees, it was pointed out that it would take more than 20,000 honey bees to pollinate 1 acre of apple trees, whereas it would take only 250 Mason Bees! That's quite a difference!

I knew that Mason bees were more efficient, but hearing (seeing) the numbers is astounding. I was invited to a barbecue awhile back and took ladybugs as a gift for the hostess. Last weekend I was invited to the neighbors (they have several apple trees) and [was going to take] took a tube of Mason bees. That reminds me that I need to drop them off . . .

What great hostess gifts! When can you come to my house?

Heh heh. Any time. ^_^

Hi Bill, ooops, sorry, I missed your post earlier. I was thinking about trying to get to the talk in Camas last week, but it ended up not working out. Definitely something to watch for next year, though. I"m definitely into doing things inexpensively and creatively when possible-means more money for plants, lol!

Kathy, what clever hostess gifts! I may just steal your idea one of these days....

Susybell, are you and hubby going anywhere memorial weekend? I'd like to stop by your place on my way to Tillamook, Jim

Hi Jim, No, we don't have any traveling plans for Memorial weekend, so we'll be around. :) We'd be delighted to have you stop by-just let me know when. You can check up on your baby hostas-they're growing very well. I'll send you a dmail with address, etc. :)

Does anyone have information on a hosta place in Chimmicum?

Do you mean Naylor Creek? They're great, but mail order and plant sale only. Jim deals with them quite a lot.

Thanks. My sister lives in Suquamish and saw an ad for their open house and I think she will go up there.

oooh, open house? I'm jealous!

They have some great stuff and will probably have good prices for an open house. http://www.naylorcreek.com.

(so you can give your sister a list of what to get you, LOL).

Susiebell, Willowwind2, yes, I can say I am a Naylor Creek aholic, they had their openhouse sale last Sat. also Marcos and Joyce Fransen were there from Holland, I took some of my hybrids to show them, they will be buying a couple more from me to put into production. they will be here again in late summer then I'll turn them over. I want to use them for making crosses. while they're in bloom. I'll divide them up then. the one they have from last spring is doing well. Marcos said it is living up to it's name Blue Wu ( Blue Empress Wu ) there are 200 plants so far out of Tissue Culture. Jim

Jim, that's fantastic!

My mason bees are cold this morning 29!!!!!

Sue, thanks, Jim

Stlhead, you would think we'd be getting warmer weather on a regular basis. one day it's high 60%F another its freezing, everything is 2 or 3 weeks later than normal in my garden, Jim

Hi Stlhead! Welcome!! Brrr, it was cold at your house today. Is that a colder than normal temp?

Hey, Jim, the beautiful hosta you gave me was one of the first up in my garden. It's still in a pot - I'm afraid to risk it to slugs. :-)

I know you have a lot of other shade-lovers in your gardens. Any in particular you'd recommend? I'd love to get a few more epimediums this year . . .

Thanks Jim. Sounds like she missed it. Maybe next year. Congratulation on your hostas successes.

I'm thinking of becoming an epimedium nut. There are some beautiful ones. Wonder if the deer eat them?

Welcome Stlhead. Is that as in salmon?

Travel with caution down Epimedium road: I went there last year & have had to slap my wallet back into the purse many times the past few weeks.
There are some very lovely ones available, and as far as I know, they aren't deer food. They are part of the Berberis family - sturdy little guys with pretty cool flowers. Absolutely worth growing.

I'm falling down the Epimedium road, too. A controlled slide, so far. I've now got 4...but I'm loving how delicate looking they are, and how different the blooms can be, one to the next. sigh.....the life of a plant addict....