May 16 Three photos including the poor dead mason bee (RIP)

I added a few paper tubes to the condo to see if accepted 

so sad, a mason bee died on the ledge of the bee condo #2. Must have run out of the life cycle. Some estimates say end of the cycle is the end of May, so this is close

notice how full the right side of the condo #2 is.   very few tubes are unfilled on this date

Some of the tubes are fairly large diameter.

Notice the extra tubes (made from white paper). So far,  the bees have avoided any of the white paper tubes.

Yesterday I became impatient with two of the mason bee tubes I purchased online.

One of the tubes contained a LIVE male bee (very small bee). All the rest of the cocoons were dead.

I examined the other tube and found one live female.  She looked in good health.

Let me pause to count my chickens before they hatch.

I  have about 60 tubes.  If each tube contains 10 females.  Then if all cocoons emerge on the Ides of March next year, then I will get approximately 600 bees.    I had better have lots of tubes ready for next year.   Now adding some realism, I will say only 300 bees will survive to hatch on Pi day.

Each bee will need 10 tubes , so I will need to produce 3,000 tubes. I think I  will provide some bamboo tubes.  I don't have confidence in the routed wood.  There was something wrong with the scent on the wood...my guess.   Maybe I will wash the routed-wood. Maybe that will help.