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jbest123
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Orchard Bees

I had bought six tubes of bees in 2006.This photo is my third year with orchard bees. There pollinating activity is like a honeybee on steroids. The second bundle of tubes from the right are completely filled with bees and the first bundle on the right are partially filled tubes. In February they both went into the fridge. I did not put them outside until the apple blossoms show white tip. Sixteen years later, I now have well over 200 tubes and still growing.

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p20500111 by tsebmj, on Flickr

DoubleDogFarm
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What is the inside diameter of the straws. I may have to look this up again, but I believe 1/4" will give you males and 5/16 will give you females. More likely that is.

Eric

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rainbowgardener
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That's terrific, John, but just out of curiosity, how is it sixteen years since 2006?



I had bought six tubes of bees in 2006 ... Sixteen years later, I now have well over 200 tubes and still growing.

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jbest123
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DoubleDogFarm wrote:What is the inside diameter of the straws. I may have to look this up again, but I believe 1/4" will give you males and 5/16 will give you females. More likely that is.

Eric
Either will work but 5/16 is more common. The females go in first then the males. That is so the males will be flying around waiting to have there way with the females when they emerge.

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jbest123
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rainbowgardener wrote:That's terrific, John, but just out of curiosity, how is it sixteen years since 2006?



I had bought six tubes of bees in 2006 ... Sixteen years later, I now have well over 200 tubes and still growing.
A senior moment I guess. :()

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

We have made those beehives using 3/4 inch bamboo tubes tied in a bundle. The back end of the bamboo bundle is cut after the node so the back side of the bundles are sealed. They work for the carpenter bees. It is funny to watch them. They can fly into the tubes fine, but they cannot spread their wings to exit so they drop in the grass and then fly up.

We also have a bee hive for leaf cutter bees. It is blocks of wood that has been drilled and stacked in a box. Leaf cutter bees do not make honey but cut circles out of the leaves and stuff it in the nest, they live on the fungi that grow on the leaves. They are very docile bees and it takes quite a bit of force to knock them out of the hive.

We did have problems with the leaf cutter and honey bee hives because the ants force the bees out. We had to put vaseline and boric acid on the pole that supported the leaf cutter bee hive to keep them away.

The honey bees swarmed after the ants attacked the hive so the soil was treated and once the ants were gone about a year later new hives were set up and the bases are treated with amdro to keep the ants away. The hives are thriving now and we just got honey from them on November 22. 2013/.



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