The EssentiaList

by Catherine Haug

Update log:

• 3/6/10 adds link to John’s new handout that comes with the blocks, and sketch of attaching hardware cloth to keep out woodpeckers;
• 3/3/10 on care instructions for those who purchased blocks last year;
• 2/23/10 for prices;
• 5/21/10 adds links to more informational files on bees and motels.

Last year ESP offered a gathering on Pollinators and their Habitat, which included a presentation by John Holbrook of Missoula, on native orchard mason bees. John showed us his bee motels and brought several with or without bee larvae, for sale. John’s photo, right, shows a bee preparing to enter its nest.

Those of us who installed the bee motels have noted that all the empty holes got filled by the industrious creatures with larvae for the coming year. This spring, they will hatch, leave the nest to forage and mate, and will need homes for their eggs. They don’t really like to use a nest that has been previously occupied.

Care of last year’s blocks, and new blocks at the end of the season

From John Holbrook:

Did you take down your blocks for winter storage last year? This is not really necessary unless you get severely harsh winter weather where you live. In that case, you would have moved them to unheated, protected outside storage (such as a shed or unattached garage).

In the spring, move them to working areas in your yard: garden plots, flower beds, etc.) when temperatures warm enough that the buds of fruit trees and other plants start to show tips of green.

If you left your blocks in-place outside, just leave them where they are or move them to new areas in your yard.

NOTE: there’s no need to refrigerate or freeze the blocks in the fall. Simply leave in place, or move to protected, unheated storage.

Reuse of blocks

The bees don’t really like to use a nest that has been used before. However, if you covered some empty holes of a new block with blue painter’s tape, you can uncover them to be used for nests this year.

Spent blocks can be burned in your wood stove.

Purchasing new blocks

Cost, etc.

2010 cost from John Holbrook:

• $20.00 each for motels with some larvae
• $3.50 each for empty motels

If you are starting your first year, John recommends at least one with larvae and at least one empty one for the new generation. After the first year, you just need more empty ones, as the bees do not like to use a nest that has already been used.

Interested in Making Bee Motels to Sell?

If you are interested in making empty bee motels to sell, please let me know so that I can alert our community of the opportunity. See the next section for files that describe how to build the bee motels.

For more information on Mason Bees

For more information on mason bees and their homes, see the gathering summary for last year’s event: Gathering Summary: Pollinators & their Habitats. The ‘Related Files’ section at the end of that document includes links for more information.

Here are some other files from John on Mason Bees:

• John Holbrook: Orchard Mason Bees (John’s original file of bee facts and bee motel construction)
• “Your Orchard Mason Bee Block” (2010 update of his original file; includes sketch of attaching hardware cloth or chicken wire to keep out birds)
• Construction of Bee Blocks for Orchard Mason Bees (more info on construction of bee motels; also includes sketch of attaching hardware cloth or chicken wire to keep out birds)

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 12:22 pm and is filed under Agriculture, Community, Ecology, Home & Ranch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.