ARCHIVAL: This post has been re-dated from 2016 in order to position it closer in the blog to Mason Bee Information
NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information
Mason bees for sale at $6.00 per dozen:
I have put out my first set of Mason Bees from the refrigerator as the peaches and nectarines are in bloom. There are also a few honey bees working the flowers, but once the Mason bees are active, they are much more efficient at pollinating than honey bees.
I have produced away more of these cocoons than I need for my garden and orchard so see this page for information on purchasing mason bees: https://www.gfletcher.ca/?p=1
I am now selling mason bee cocoons $6.00 per dozen which you can order and then pick up from my farm in Metchosin British Columbia.
e-mail garryf use the at sign gmail dot com, or use the e-mail form on the page linked above.
NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information
I am now selling mason bee cocoons which you can order and then pick up from my farm in Metchosin British Columbia.
I raise my blue orchard bees in boxes like this, similar to a birdhouse without a front. The mud-filled tubes are complete, and they are still working on the open ones. The small compartment at the bottom, with a lid and hole in it, is for depositing a handful of cocoons into when I remove them from the refrigerator. This is done after their winter hibernation when I need pollinators for various fruit trees.
A section of 4 inch drain pipe can be used as a mason bee house also. A 5 cm. overhanging lip at the top keeps the water out. I also have a limited number of Phragmites reed tubes for mason bee homes . They average 6 inches in length and can be packed horizontally in any container as long as it is waterproof. Limited amount available at $5.00 per dozen.
See other postings here on Mason Bees :
Contact: garryf use the: “at sign” gmail dot com
Well thats a takeoff on what I have decided to call my Mason Bee operation.. Its now MASON BEES METCHOSIN. Below are the latest versions of a poster and simplified yearly directions I have on a business card.
Scroll back through the mason bee postings to see samples of houses made from repurposed/recycled materials.
Note: I have created this 2017 posting to bring it closer to the other mason Bee information
Recently this Mason Bee house has appeared on the market and it has to be one of the worst pieces of equipment I have seen for encouraging mason bees. I have recently sent a request to Costco management requesting that this item be removed from their shelves.
The following are the reasons that I have made this criticism:
1. The tubes are made of bamboo and are impossible to break open to remove cocoons for cleaning to prevent parasitic mite infection. The manufacturer even gives directions to put them back outside in the spring without cleaning out the parasitic mites. This is totally irresponsible as it will lead to an increase in mite population since you are creating a monoculture which encourages parasites.
2. The maximum depth of the tubes is less than 4 inches. Mason bees need at least a 6 inch depth. Also some of them are open ended allowing parastic wasps in the back end as well.
3.The diameter of many of the tubes is away too large. The ideal size for mason bees is 5/16 inch.
4. The diameter of many of the tubes was too small for mason bees.
5. Some of the tubes were glued in upside down with nodes at the front end preventing bees from entering.
6. Many of the tubes had nodes near the centre, rather than at the bottom end, meaning they were less than 2 cm deep and no sane mason bee would use those tubes.
The partial solution if you end up buying one of these things if you can’t return it, is to remove all the tubes as in the video below, and fill them or replace them with disposable phragmites or cardboard tubes.
See an update on how to modify these tubes if you happen to be stuck with having bought a house like this.
ARCHIVAL: This post has been re-dated from 2016 in order to position it closer in the blog to Mason Bee Information
Selling mason bees and reed tubes today proved to be very successful. I had registered for a table selling mason bees cocoons and Phragmites reed-stem tubes at the Victoria Seedy Saturday.
My schedule for attending upcoming Seedy Saturdays is as follows, also you can follow the links to their websites for more details.
February 27: Sooke Seedy Saturday
March 6: Nanaimo Seedy Sunday.
March 12: North Vancouver Seedy Saturday
April 2: Surrey Seedy Saturday
I produced the poster below to identify my location at the seedy Saurdays. A big thankyou to all who were willing to get engaged with raising mason bees and I encourage all those who buy my bees and tubes to give me feedback on their experience with raising them.
NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information
On Saturday I set up my display table in the Victoria Conference Centre to sell Mason Bee Cocoons and Phragmites Reed grass tubes for the Seedy Saturday event. I had decided to donate the profits from my sales to the Gofundme project I had started a few weeks ago while I was in Medellin Colombia, so I was able to donate $400.00 from todays profits.
http://www.gofundme.com/f/operation-and-hope-for-jorge
Sir James Douglas, the First Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, had a hunting lodge which was partly on our property in Metchosin. At the foot of the property down on Taylor Beach is a large glacial erratic, granite rock. In the top of the rock is a bored hole with a rusted pin at the bottom. In the 1850s, this rock served as a mooring spot for Douglas’s ship when he came out from Victoria. If anyone comes across any further information on the hunting lodge I would love to see it. The video clip below of the rock was taken in January, 2022
As you turn left from the parking lot at Taylor beach the first large glacial erratic you encounter is just off shore; 
Walking further down the beach is a larger pointed rock which served as the mooring device. We call it the Sir James Douglas Rock
When walking the dog on the beach one cant help but notice the wide array of kinds of rock . Here are a few examples of the glacial erratics.
See all my posts on Mason Bees here https://www.gfletcher.ca/?cat=2