SQWIB
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Mason Bee Home Help Needed

I have been researching this to death and know how to build the Mason Bee Home

I have a few questions

I understand that the bee house should be replaced or cleaned (sterilized) every 2-3 years, but when do you do this, when will the bees vacate, will the cocoons still be in there.

I read this article
If I have to go through all that trouble like the article says, I'll ditch on the idea.

I have a nice piece of red maple to make the house from but want to be able to reuse it but not at the risk of the bees.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Wow, I don't think I would be this dedicated either. Haha Is this article for regular gardeners or for people who want to sell the bees commercially?


I think if I were to make them, I would just put them up and let nature take its course... but I know I get plenty of predatory wasps that help in the Garden Patrol... I wonder if there would be equal number of unwanted predatory wasps?

Maybe start with a less elaborate system (save your Maple) and see if the local mason bees will colonize, then see if there seems to be severe predatory wasp infestation of your mason bee colony? I remember I put out some cut off pieces of IKEA shelf support -- Ivan, I think? -- that had a bunch of holes in it, and something...presumably mason bees... filled all the holes with mud. That was my extent. I keep thinking I should do more though :D

...I think the simplest I ever saw was a bunch of drinking straws bunched together and stuck inside something, and I remember thinking I sometimes use drinking straws as seedling labels, and they quickly deteriorate in the sun....

Looking forward to the discussion about this topic. :wink:

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

We just tie a bundle of 1/2 inch bamboo canes or pvc pipe together with a zip tie and hang it in a tree. Over time the bamboo gets old and cracks and gets moldy. The bees abandon it and we throw it away and hang another. We had a lot of bamboo we can get on site, so this is not a problem. We only recently started pvc bundles so we haven't had to clean any yet. But I am assuming the same that the bees will stop using the tubes when they need to be cleaned.

john gault
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Location: Atlantic Beach, Fl. (USDA Hardiness Zone 9a)

I've learned that most solitary bees don't use these structures, rather they dig in the ground, but not in heavily mulched ground, they prefer sandy soils (I like to mulch, heavily. :eek: ). I'm still trying to figure out how to make good habitat for those bees. BTW, I like the bamboo idea of imafan26.

https://www.foxleas.com/make-a-bee-hotel.asp
Mining Bees

Most species of solitary bees are in fact Mining Bees, and do not use the tube nests described above. They build their nest cells in open sandy soil, banks or short grass. Unfortunately gardeners tend to overlook them. Current gardening advice that encourages you to dig soil, or to mulch it, or to grow ground-cover plants, means that there is often little habitat for Mining Bees in gardens.

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

Many solitary bees nest in the ground. Squash bees, yellow faced, sweat bees, alkali bees,and miners are solitary ground nesting bees. They are pollinators of garden plants and vegetables but often the honey bee gets the credit. These bees need bare; unmulched open ground for their nests.

The different bee species specialize and have favorite flowers. Honey bees like small flatter flowers since they have short tongues. The longer tonged bees can get into more tubular flowers and spikes.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 306468.pdf
Leaf cutter and mason (carpenter) bees nest in unpainted wood. Bees like a tube that is just big enough to fit, not too big or too small. Leaf cutter bees 8-10 mm, Carpenter bees about 1/2 inch or slightly less.
https://www.xerces.org/wp-content/upload ... _nests.pdf

Paint wood to keep carpenter bees from drilling into your home or deck. Site carpenter bee nests in a tree.
Carpenter bees are sometimes considered pests, but in the tropics there are no squash bees or hummingbirds and carpenter bees are more important pollinators of passion fruit and cucurbits.
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/UHMG/downl ... penter.pdf

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

We get the lil leaf cutter bees here. I just take a 2x4 and drill a whole bunch of 7/32 inch holes in it then go hang the board under the eaves of an outbuilding. The bees come and lay eggs in these boards.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

How deep are the holes? Is there a minimum depth? Max? ...well I guess not through... oh! Drill holes in the flat side of the 2x4 or the narrow side... or the end? (I'm guessing the flat and not quite through, but hey, might as well ask.... :wink: )



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