Wild Bees, Wasps and Ants and Other Stinging Insects

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Title: Wild Bees, Wasps and Ants
       and Other Stinging Insects

Author: Edward Saunders

Illustrator: Constance A. Saunders

Release Date: October 18, 2010 [EBook #33874]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

of course ,  this is not an endorsement about anyt website or anything else :)

Update on emerged mason-bees 60º F 2 Males on the wall

Just checked the bee condos.  As I previously reported, all four tubes in condo-2 have
breakouts.  To date, no breakouts exist on the four tubes in condo-1. Temperature is about 60 º F.

I checked the daffodil flowers and it appeared there were a few males (because they are quite small).

Just went outside to visit the bee condos.  No activity around condo-1. However, two male mason-bees are sitting on the wall about three feet directly above condo-2.  Since all 4 mason-bee cocoon tubes are open, they undoubtedly are waiting for the ladies to emerge.

By Tuesday the midday temperature is forecasted to be 72 º F

Event details

10am on Saturday, March 16th at Starkey's Corner. Come learn all about blue orchard mason bees and how easy it is to raise them for your own garden. Mason bees are gentle and will not sting. They are 100 times more efficient at pollinating than honeybees and can help you keep your fruit trees, nut tree, berry bushes and more pollinated and loaded with fruit. This class is free and open to the public. Blue orchard mason bees and supplies will be available to purchase. Class will be taught by Michelle Berg of Fat Dog Farms

The Orchard Bee Association (OBA) is dedicated to enhancing the use of native and naturalized bees in orchards throughout the world.

The sooth sayer once said to Cesar "beware the ides of march"

March 15  is the   Ides of March

Below are notes posted at 1:35 pm. on March 15.

Temperature has reached 55º F
One of Fred's brothers felt the temperature and now a third
tube break out has occurred.
Now we have (at least) 3 males on the property.  Fortunately, I have daffodil
flowers. The mason-bees seem to like them.  Also, the dandelion flowers are
popular with the mason-bees. Females spend lots of time on the dandelion
weed.  I am beginning to look at dandelion flowers as more of a friend than
an enemy.  I have a winter daphne shrub. So far, the mason-bees do not seem to have
interest in the winterer daphne.  Too bad, because the winter daphne is covered with little flowers.

I am identifying my bee condos as condo-1 and condo-2.  Condo-1 was purchased last year and condo-2 was purchase this year.
Condo-1 was a simple design with only bamboo (various diameters). I ripped out all the bamboo and replaced with cardboard/paper-lined tubes.
Condo-2 is a better design. While it does use some bamboo tubes, the center part is router made and is removable.
I modified both condos with a plastic roof.  I cut pieces from Costco packaging for fresh apples.  The plastic cover juts out from the condo so that no rain can touch my precious mason-bee tubes.

So all three break-out tubes are installed in condo-2.  It has a total of 8 tubes.
Condo-1 also has 8 tubes.
I think the reason condo-2 has all the break-outs is that it is located near an inside corner of the house (location may trap a little bit of heat).
Both condos are located facing the south. And both get the western sun.

One interesting, the breakout that occurred today is a very tiny hole.  Those males are so small, their breakouts are always small.  The first breakout has now expanded, so I suspect that a female may have emerged from that tube. Females look to be three or four times the size of the males.

By day's end, all four tubes in condo-2 have breakouts.  No breakouts in condo-1.
I think condo-2 being mounted near and inside corner of the house is the difference.
It probably traps just  a little heat and thus the bees get moving.

March 14 update on Mason-bees EMERGED on Einstein's birthday!

March 14 update on Mason-bees

HEY SPORTSFANS  !  Yes indeed 3.14

pi day was emergence for mason bees
Excuse me, I forgot to mention that March 14 was Albert Einstein's birthday. 

This is the day. Yes, it is over 50º F. 
And somehow, the mason-bees know this is for them, the first day of spring.  They are emerging.  Also, I saw a bumble bee.  I figure she is a queen looking around for a place to nest.  Tomorrow the temperature will be 60º F at midday.  I am thinking there will be many
bees.

This one is a male.  very small. I got a video of a female. She is three times
his size.
------------------------------
at 10 am I inspected the condos. No new breaks.
At least I have a few flowers in the yard.
The Winter Daphne has about half the buds in bloom.
A set of daffodils is completely blooming.
At least these two plants are providing good potential food
sources.

March 13, Mason bees update

March 13

Checked the bee condos today at 2:30 pm
checked again at 5pm  same result
No new breakouts.  Also, I do not see any mason-bees around the bee condos.
(I expect the males hang around the condos, especially if the females have not emerged
yet)

midday Temperature varies from 51º  to 57 º (F) depending on the location on the
property.

Flowers currently blooming
daffodil
winter daphne
grape hyacinths
dandelion
flowering plum(ballerina )

not yet blooming
blueberries
asian pear
edible cherry

March 13 Kitty litter as a substitute for good clay UPDATE

March 13
Finding useful clay for the female Mason bees.
Last year I dug a few holes looking for clay-like soils. I put the
soil into an old black plastic pot. I kept the soil wet. My conclusion
was that it was not good soil for the bees.

This year I am attempting to use kitty litter.  I bought some a
few days ago. I put the kitty litter into a pot and added water,
The first attempt was a failure.  The added water demonstrated the
kitty litter is basically sand.  That is worthless.
So today I bought more kitty litter but this time I was looking for
"clumping" kitty litter.  Tomorrow I will try putting it into a pot
and adding water.  I will update his post tomorrow.

Does anyone know the store and brand name for the most useful kitty litter?
If my experiment is successful I will post it here.
I bought some kitty litter.  I made sure it was clumping, I added water to
the stuff in a small bucket.  It does behave just like clay.  The only problem is the
manufacturer put in some kind of scent.  Smells very nice but I am not sure the
mason-bees will appreciate such an unnatural odor. We will see.

The kitty litter I bought clumps nicely and has a light gray color.  Like I said it does

have a scent.

• of course ,  this is not an endorsement about any website or anything else :)

March 12 Update on mason bees

March 12
========
Going out to view my mason bee condo in a few minutes.

The temperature at 11:20 am  45 F.

According to the weather forecast, the temperatures will not rise above 49 F today.

I will check as the day progresses.
March 13 and 14 will be in the 50s.
On the 15th temperatures will go to 60s.  We are getting very close
to all 8 tubes releasing the bees.

March 11 Update on my MasonBees

March 11  Update on Mason Bees

No new breaks and no new observed mason-bees.
Temperature is 52º F

The rest of the spring the mid-day temperatures should remain above
50º F .     For the next two weeks the temperatures should be above  60º F

I will check them tomorrow.

Just checked the weather forecast,  Looks like midday temperature will only go up
to 49 F.  After Tomorrow (12) the temperature, it will not fall below 50ºF

March 10 I am forecasting today will be the start of emergence

March 10
   Today is the first day of forecasted 50-degree (F) weather.  I have not
    checked the temperature yet
    I have not checked the tubes yet.

    I am going out now to check.
    Stay tuned.
============================================
After checking the mason bee tubes

Ok, as of 1pm, the temperature reached 53 F but no new breaks in the mud of
cocoon tubes.

The 10th forecast says 11th will be over 50
        12th will dip down to 49
After that, the mid-day temperatures will be over 50 F and starting on March 16
the mid-day temperatures will be a minimum of 60 F
All of the tubes should be broken by March 19
I will keep this vigil up to date.