First Year Raising Leafcutter Bees
Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:11 am
This is going to sound weird coming from someone who is extremely sensitive to bee stings - but - I love our bees!
We chose summer bees that will still fly in 100+ temps - alfalfa leafcutters - (Megachile rotundata). We didn't have much to pollinate or to feed the spring mason bees. They emerged and left. It was a bit of a bummer, and I still wonder/worry/hope that they found a good place to live. Hopefully, the cherry tree will be bigger and we will have more blooming perennials next spring so we can get them to stay, too.
They are fun to watch. Here are some highlights:
Even if I were truly allergic, I'd probably stock up on Epi-pens and still do this. We sit on the bench by the house and just watch them. They don't mind working side-by-side in the garden with us either. I give them their space, mind you, but even my neighbour brought her 4-year-old over to check them out.
We chose summer bees that will still fly in 100+ temps - alfalfa leafcutters - (Megachile rotundata). We didn't have much to pollinate or to feed the spring mason bees. They emerged and left. It was a bit of a bummer, and I still wonder/worry/hope that they found a good place to live. Hopefully, the cherry tree will be bigger and we will have more blooming perennials next spring so we can get them to stay, too.
They are fun to watch. Here are some highlights:
Even if I were truly allergic, I'd probably stock up on Epi-pens and still do this. We sit on the bench by the house and just watch them. They don't mind working side-by-side in the garden with us either. I give them their space, mind you, but even my neighbour brought her 4-year-old over to check them out.