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.
NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information
The Mason bee tubes are generally filled and a mud cap can be seen plugging the hole of the tube by the end of April-May and no further activity will be seen. It is best to not disturb the tubes for several weeks as the eggs are delicately placed on the stored food materials in each capsule and they take several weeks to get firmly implanted.
The first version of the mason bee house. Only one problem, where do you place the cocoons when they are ready to be released. Next years version soved that one.
Any time after October you can open the tubes and clean the cocoons of parasites for storage over winter in a refrigerator or a cool place outside protected from mice and birds. Some tubes may appear empty. Use a wire or a small round file to check.
Unused tubes may be used again but only if they are clean and parasite free.
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Split the tubes open in the winter and remove the cocoons,clean and store in a refrigerator until March.
Orange sections are mites
The top line and bottom rows are examples of successful tubes. The middle one has sawdust like fillings oin several compartments indicating the presence of parasitic mites. DIspose of thee so they wont contaminate next years emerging bees. are successful bees
This is a picture of unsuccessful egg laying. The orange mixture of pollen and nectar was put in the compartments but these ones must have missed getting a viable egg.
A light brush can be used to roll them around., and they can be swirled around in sand. .Their cocoons are very durable.Some people even go so far as to wash them.
And when you are finished, compost the last year’s tubes.
ARCHIVAL: This post has been re-dated from 2017 in order to position it closer in the blog to Mason Bee Information ( SOLD OUT for 2017 and 2018) SEE most recent post:
I now have mason bee cocoons available to be picked up at our farm for the Spring Season, 2017. You can email or phone ahead to arrange a time to get them: Osmia lignaria
Currently they have been cleaned and are refrigerated.
Phragmites reed tubes now available: $16.00 for 2 dozen
Costs for this yearfor two dozen packets are as follows:
25 Cleaned Mason Bee Cocoons = $15.00 24 (now 30) Phragmites reed tubes= $15.00
For Culturing, I also sell dried natural Phragmites reed grass stem tubes which I harvest from our wetland. I find that these tubes are the the most efficient type of tube for attracting mason bees and reducing parasite infection.
Also inexpensive re-purposed material houses are available.
I also have a selection of re-purposed materials bee houses complete with phragmites tubes installed . These range from $30.00 to $50.00. But I would really encourage you to make your own so samples for ideas will be available.
I am also already planning on attending the following Seedy Saturdays where I will have a display and the blue orchard bees for sale. (click on for links)
A t this time of year as you set out your mason bee cocoons, dont forget to provide a ready source of mud. This video shows a little trick I discovered where they seem to prefer mud tunnels to gather their mud for the tubes. This makes sense as there is less chance of predation by birds when picking up mud when the bees are out of sight.
Dig a small 5″ deep trench within a few metres of your bee houses, and bore horizontal holes into the side of it. Put a bucket of water in the trench when it looks dry.
Note I have updated this post to place it closer to other mason bee entries.
I can’t recall seeing so many Tiger swallowtails around the yard in other years as we are seeing this year.
Our non-invasive but introduced butterfly bush Bidulphia sp. is particularly attractive to them.
Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
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Of particular interest is the backward flying mating dance– one individual 25 cm above and ahead of the other… Several times I have watched these displays go on for up to 10 minutes.
The other interesting observation was the speed which they insert the proboscis into florets repetitively. You can see that by clicking on the following short video clip:
The only competition for nectar appears to be the Anna’s Hummingbird.
I had not seen this very large wasp until today. Now I realize it is an Eastern Yellow-jacket wasp (Vespula pensylvanica). At this time of years , the queen, the only one to survive the winter, emerges from her overwintering spot and starts to organize for establishing a colony.
An Easter yellow-jacket wasp seeking nectar in a rhododendron
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Vespula
Subgenus: (Paravespula)
Species: V. pensylvanica
Binomial name Vespula pensylvanicaSaussure, 1857
