tube building

 I am building two kinds of tubes.

1. paper tubes which are made from 8.5x11 white paper,

each piece of paper makes 2 tubes. Most tubes are made on a 5/16 inch dowels. Elmer's white glue is used in small amounts to make the paper stick together. One end of the tube is plugged with white clay.

2. bamboo tubes are cut to about 5 inches long. If the tube has no node, then one end is plugged with the white clay.

I plan to fix more bamboo tubes.  The second to last step will be to install the tubes and the last step is mounting the condos on the wall.

Mason Bee rebuild process

Mason Bee rebuild process

I took both of my mason bee condos and cleaned them up. I pulled out old staples and nailed everything. I have some thin styrofoam which is sandwiched between layers of thin paper. I put the styrofoam on the condos so that the tubes will be protected from the rain. I have found it is important to soak the panels in water. It only takes a few minutes, then I remove the paper. You have to remove the paper, otherwise in the weather the paper warps the foam.  Just get rid of the paper.

The bottom of one condo had many black spots. I took it off and soaked it in diluted bleach for about 20 minutes. Then I rinsed it off under running water. I put it next to an heating system air vent to dry it. 

In a day or so, I will attached the dried bottom to the condo.

I have many tubes completed.  As soon as the condos are complete, I will install the tubes.

Ok the bottom is now attached to the bee condo. I need to make more tubes so that I can fill up the condos.

My paper tube progress

 I timed my tube construction so that each tube takes a total of about one minute. That includes cutting paper, rolling paper (while gluing), taping each end and finally plugging one end with clay.  

So when I set down to make tubes I figure an hour will produce about 60 tubes.

Tube construction

 Starting yesterday, I have been making tubes. I use two sizes of dowels, quarter inch and 5/16 inch.  I use good ole'fashion computer paper.  I have made about 80 tubes, so far.  I don't worry about the exact number of tubes of each size.  It is about half of each size.

After rolling a tube using elmer's glue I finish with two or three pieces of masking tape to secure the flap.

I bought a 2.5 lb tub of white modeling clay at Walmart. It cost a few cents over 5 dollars.  It is essential to seal one end of each tube. According to the label, the clay drys slowly. So after three months the tubes will be ready. If I have completed all tubes by first of January, the clay will have plenty of drying time prior to March 15 (Pi day).  Pi day is the day most mason bees recognize as the beginning of the mason bees life cycle.

Soon I will begin cutting and shaving the bamboo tubes.

It is essential to have a good supply of black bamboo tubes because mason bees prefer black bamboo tubes to all other types of tubes.

rain and cold

 weather not good

Hardware cloth box.

 Early in the spring of 2021 I will move my bees from their winter storage into this quarter-inch hardware cloth box. I will put it near the prepared condo. The box will protect the bees from birds.The bag is opened but the overhang from the house protects the bees from rain.

 Mason bee cocoons shown drying after the rinse.

I am not going to try to count these cocoons but I estimate about 250 .  Notice the large objects on right side of the paper.  These are the deepest section of a bamboo tube. It is extremely difficult to remove a cocoon from this woody material, so I leave it along. The deep section only includes one cocoon.

I love spell checkers, because I am such a lousy speller.  So I never won a spelling bee. Turns out winning spelling bees is worthless. 

3 more photos of the cocoon removal process

 

notice above, 5 good cocoons but second to bottom shows a cell with Houdini fly maggots

o

look at center of photo , the bamboo tube shows the typical filled tube. The color of the clay depends on the local clay, but most of mine are gray in color

This is a cocoon secured into the very back of a bamboo tube.  While sometimes the parasites can attack this position, the location is typically extreemly safe for the cocoon. So safe that it is even difficult for me to remove the cocoon.

Recap of my mason bee management

 I started managing mason bees in the spring of 2018.

By the fall, I discovered no bees filled tubes in the mason bee house which I provided.  Early in spring of 2019 I purchased a few tubes of mason bees. By the end of(October) 2019 I counted about 75 cocoons.

This year I started with my harvested bag of bees(75).  Now my population has grown to approximately 250 cocoons. Of course, I do not know how many of the cocoons are viable. They look viable, but I have no way of know if any disease or parasite has invaded the cocoons.

This winter I will rebuild my mason bee condos and maybe add one condo.  I should put out about 300 tubes. We will see the results at the end of 2021 season.

So far I have cleaned up the houses. I intend to do some structural repair and I will soak the condos in a rather stong solution of water and bleach. I figure that will virtually steralize the wood.

I have a fairly large crop of black bamboo. If I run out of black bamboo tubes, I will fill in the remainder of the space with hand crafted paper tubes.  Since bees seem to like variable size holes, I will make sure I provide a variety of sizes.

Inside a freshly opened black bamboo tube

 Some good cocoons and some destroyed. No in betweens.

Either alive or  dead.  The white worms (larvae) are BAD news

Photos from the cleaning of the condos.

Above is a photo of an opened bamboo tube (black bamboo)

Basically, I just split the tube at the end and pry it open. Actually, very simple to accomplish. 

The only real problem is when a cocoon is stuck in the very back of the tube. That  one can be difficult to extract.  It only occurs for about 1 in 50 cocoons.  The

big problem is parasitic wasp and fly larvae. The parasites actually destroy cocoons.

Above is an example of an empty tube.

Above is an example of a destroyed cocoon. I suspect it is some kind of fungus.

 

October 11, 2020 Bees have been removed from condos and stored for the winter.

Ok, yesterday and today I tore into the mason bee condos.

I found lots of nasty parasites. Two types of parasite larvae were found. One type is off-white larvae, very small. The other type was a quarter inch larvae which were dark in color.  Some tubes had no viable mason bee cocoons.  Very disappointing.

Generally speaking I think the parasites destroyed half of my cocoons. None the less, my final count was an estimate of 250 viable cocoons.

A typical situation was the first and last mason bee cocoon were intact. But all the cocoons in between were consumed by the NASTY parasites.  

The amazing thing is quite often all the bees were destroyed except for the very first one laid. I do not know why. Maybe the mother laid the egg and had, peak energy to pack the cell with a little extra clay. I don't know.  

After removing all the cocoons I washed the cocoons in a very dilute water/bleach solution. Then I rinsed the cocoons in clean fresh water.

Interestingly, I found no cocoons which did not float.

After the rinse, I placed them on dry paper towel and then on a second dry paper towel.

I placed them in a JCPenney plastic bag (just like cloth, but very durable) which lets air flow freely.  I put the entire bag in a large plastic jar and covered the hole with 1/4 inch hardware cloth.

Then, I put the whole thing in another plastic bag which allows air to flow freely.

Just like last fall I hung the storage on the north side of my outdoor shed.

Now I wait until March 15.

I have a number of photos of the bees during the cleaning process. The photos will be posted soon.

It has taken me 3 years to get to my current population.

The first year I put out a mason bee house. I got nothing. The second year i actually purchased four tubes of cocoons. The result was at the beginning of the 3rd year I had about 75 cocoons. Now at the end of the 3rd year I have 250 cocoons.

 

Here are the bees immediately after the 

    1) wash

     2) rinse

Then

   3) dry

                      4)store in cloth type bag

  I estimate the total number is 250 cocoons.

Time to eliminate the Houdini fly

 The nasty little Houdini fly maggots do not know what is coming.  Tomorrow they get eliminated from the bee-condos. I am sure it is better to kill the Houdini fly now as compared to waiting until they emerge in the spring.

 I plan to run my movie camera as I remove the mason bee cocoons from the bee-condos.

You will see the cocoons which have been destroyed and the cells which have been hijacked by Houdini flies.

Because of the recent invasion of Houdini flies I expect to be smashing plenty of the little white maggots.  

After I have harvested the mason bee cocoons my next task will be to cut black bamboo tubes and make the white paper tubes.  I have wooden dowels which are sized to the mason bee desires.  

Finally, I will reconstruct the bee-condos. 

The routed wood trays will be discarded. They take up room in the bee-condo and just do not work.

 

not many bees left this time of year

 I checked one tube of my mason bees and discovered only two viable cocoons. One area of the tube was chuck full of some nasty little white maggots. The tiny maggots could be the houdini fly maggots.  Houdini or not the pesky little white maggots got ground into mush.

In the next few days I will be going though both condos and saving the good mason bee cocoons for the spring.

Back in July, there had been two filled tubes in the routed wood trays. However, when I inspected today, I discovered they were all gone. Some nasty insect must have destroyed them.😠

I am no fan of the routed-wood-trays.  

Close to cocoon harvest

 Ok it is now Sept 25, in a few more days it will be

demolition time for the mason bee condos.  I will

mix up a batch of bleach (very diluted) and water and

wash my cocoons. I will be separating out the parasites and put those babies away for the winter.

Once I have the cocoons put away I will start the process of cutting bamboo and rolling paper tubes.

update on the Asian Giant Hornet

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6781997/Giant-killer-hornet-believed-new-species-largest-world.html

• The hornet is 'so much larger' that experts think it must be a new species
• This news from   Mail Online

Mason bees love the Winter Daphne in the early spring.

 

Bees just love the Hybiscus flowers (Rose of Sharon), Humming birds also love them

When the humming birds take over, the clicking is huge.

 

I got honey bees.

 

road runner in New Mexico

 

Getting ready for the cocoon harvest, inspection and storage

 It is already September 10.  Soon I will be tearing apart the condos. Each tube will be emptied and all the cocoons will be cleaned and inspected.  I will store the cocoons in a special air mesh bag for the winter. From what I can tell I will have about 200 cocoons from this years egg laying.  I hope for more, but for sure I should have 200 cocoons.

Next spring I will carefully monitor the release of bees and will kill the nasty Houdini flies.  I really hate those nasty files.  

One of my mason bees checking out a space in the bee condo. She refused to sign the lease and the annual price was free. I include free child care. She still refused.

 Here is a photo of a mason bee checking our a tube. It was April 14, 2020. Many of the bamboo tubes were already filled. So she was inspecting a routed-wood-tray.

She hated it. They want BAMBOO tubes.  I will only provide paper and bamboo tubes for 2021. 

 

June 10, 2020

I was surprised today to notice several mason bees loading up vacant tubes.
They look a bit different that the bees which I had early this spring.
They are also black but appear to be just a little larger. From the looks of the
activity these bees will fill the remaining tubes in a couple weeks.

May 26, 2020 one last bee, hard to believe

Yes, one last mason be still working on filling a tube
SHe is smart because all the nasty houdini flies are gone.
So she does not have to contend with the rotten, nasty houdini file
She can be seen at the most far right corner of the bee-condo

May 20, 2020

As far as I can see the mason bees are done.

Bamboo tubes are about 80% filled.

Now I wait until October when I will extract the cocoons and
save them for March 1.

may 17,2020

No activity today. It looks like the season is basically over.
I thought the bees were active until June 1 but maybe not.
We will see over the next few days.

May 16,2020

The tubes are almost all filled.

When I say almost all, I mean only bamboo and paper.  Only one
of the routed-wood-tray tubes was filled.

Despite the great recommendations, I don't think the bees like the
routed-wood-tray  tubes.

Bees are voting with their wings.

May 13, 2020

Today I am declaring war on Houdini flies.
I am going to  fight them with the hand held vacuum.

May 12, 2020 Houdini flies are invading my mason bee condos

My bees are doing fine, except for the nasty Houdini flies.  See article at bottom page.

To date my spoiled little bees are still choosing my expensive black bamboo tubes over  the options.

Occasionally, they choose a paper or cardboard tube. On one occasion, a bee filled up a routed wood tray tube.

What can I say ?!?   They are picky, picky, picky.

Both condos appear to be approaching 80 percent occupancy.

I am like the king of bees. I watch over them.

I am going to start trying to kill the nasty Houdini fly.  Such despicable insect !

I see tiny flies flying around the condos.  The appear the size of fruit flies.
Hope they are not some kind of  parasite.  They are not a hymenoptera, look like a small diptera.

NUTS ! ! ! !
Read this item written by Crown Bees
----> https://crownbees.com/houdinifly

may 10, 2020 Virtual Event: Mother's Day Mason Bee House Workshop

https://www.wildernesscommittee.org/events/virtual-event-mothers-day-mason-bee-house-workshop

May 9, 2020 First routed-wood-tray hole filled today.

For the first time a mason bee has decided to fill  up a hole
in the routed-wood-trays.   In addition, another mason bee has
been using another hole. I can tell because there is a large amount
of  yellow powder lining the entrance to the tube.

A this point there are approximately 150 tubes filled.  The bees are
taking greater interest in paper tubes. 

Popular wisdom says that a bee condo should receive morning sun.

Actually, my best bee house faces due west. It first gets sun at about
noon.  I think the morning sun idea may sound good, but in my experience
it does not work.  I think the bees want the sun from noon to sundown.
My bees are a special variety of late risers. They look at me like I am their
god. So they know I am a late riser. The good little minions and do not
want to insult the all mighty by getting up too early.

I know they know who I am because they shoot right out of the tubes
into my face. Pelting me with their shiny bodies.

May 7, 2020

Hard to count precisely but it now looks like roughly 50 filled tubes in both
condos. 
I still dot see any routed-wood-trays with any filled tubes.  I thought there would
be a few.

There must be something wrong with the wood,  I actually had thought it
would be better to buy my own router. I do not trust the wood.

May 6 , 2020

My mason bee tenants in my bee-condos  are not happy about
the routed-out-wood trays. 

To date, not one routed-out-wood tray has a filled tube.

I really don't know what could cause their avoidance.

May 5, 2020 Cinco De Mayo

I wonder if mason bees care?

What I can say is that the bees continue to avoid routed-wood-trays. I mean
not a single filled tube in the routed-wood-trays.   Instead of using the routed-wood-trays
the bees are opting for paper tubes. 

The bees continue to mostly choose the bamboo tubes.  Occasionally, they choose paper
but that is it.

I have plenty of flowers so the bees are keeping busy.  I have about a dozen blueberry
bushes. To date I have only seen one mason bee on a blueberry bush.

I really don't know what flowers are best for them. One neighbor has a dogwood tree and the flowers have been blooming for a couple of weeks.

May 2, 2020

Not many bees active today.  I have read that mason bees fly in light rain.
I have not seen that. And today's rain seems to be keeping them grounded.

The availability of empty bamboo tubes is becoming rare.
The choosy bees are now filling paper tubes. Yet, no a single routed wood tray
tube has been filled.  I have seen a few bees entering routed-wood-tray tubes.
As I have said, none filled.

I may totally discard the routed-wood-trays and use bamboo tubes and paper.
It is easy to open the bamboo tubes. I know there are people
who extoll the benefits of routed-wood-trays.  I don't know for certain but I suspect
the reason they like the trays is because they sell them.

May 1st, 2020

At noon I will be checking on my Bees.
We will see at noon how the good the tube filling work is going.

From last October's cocoon harvest , I figure the average number of
cocoons by tube is 3.  While some egg laying afficaniato bees can lay
up to 8 eggs per long tube, that is really quite rare.  Many capped off
tubes contain only 1 cocoon. Two is not very rare.  But the average
is about 3 for all tubes.  This October I plan to develop some complete
statistics.

In any case, each condo has already completed about 40 tubes.  I think
based on available empty tubes, we may have 80 tubes per condo.
The would be a total of 160 tubes.  That could mean about 480 cocoons.
If 60 percent are females, that would give me nearly 300  FEMALE 
baby bees in March 2021.

According to Google

at end of growing season the cocoons must be cleaned

according to the following  protocol

Using a spoon, swirl the cocoons in a 0.05 percent bleach solution (1-2 teaspoons of household bleach into 1 gallon of water). 

After 1 to 2 minutes, rinse for 3-4 min in cool water to get the bleach off.

I washed my cocoons last October but I don't think my protocol was exactly as above. This coming October, I will certainly use this advice.

April 30, 2020

The bees are filling up the tubes.  It is obvious that they tend to fill tubes which are grouped together. The girls are running out of choice bamboo tubes and are now stepping down to the paper tubes more often.

 Not one single routed wood tray hole has been filled.   Not one.

The crazy bees will bolt out of tubes and fly right into my face. Of course they dont sting, but their game is to hit me.  As crazy as they are, I still love them.

April 29, 2020 Month is nearly over

Both condos have lots of filled tubes.  Condo#1 has about 40 filled and Condo#2
has about 30.
Inspecting the condos shows that typically two or three bees have their li
crazy heads sticking out of the tube.  What are they doing? resting?

I noticed one tube with a large diameter and lots of light so that I could see a yellow wall.
The old female must be out getting mud. Or maybe she is going to fetch more pollen?

Considering this is not even the end of April, I guess the bees have about two more
weeks to totally fill up both condos.

I will need to build a third condo for next year.  I hate to have my bees run out of
tubes and go to some other location.

I rarely see bees visiting blueberry flowers. I actually rarely see the mason bees visiting
any flowers.  Today I did see one mason bee on a blueberry flower. It was interesting
to see that she spent about two minutes. It appeared that she was just sucking nectar.'

According to www.masonbees.com,
"A single Mason Bee visits 20,000+ blossoms per day "
They recommend 10 bees per fruit tree.  
I think I had about 60 cocoons with emergences.  I have 12 blueberry bushes  3 pear trees,
two cherry trees.   Maybe I am a tad short this year but if my condos fill up by end of this
season, maybe I will be in good shape next spring.

April 27, 2020 Some of my bees are smart

Some of my bees are smart and some are really confused.  I like the ones
who quickly decide which tube to use.  Others fool around for up to 10 minutes before finally
deciding which tube to us.  Some bees are so stupid that they try to force their
way into a tube which is clearly to small.

On condo#1 the bees basically avoid the tubes in the middle of the house.
On condo#2 a one tube in the middle has been used.

behaviour of mason bees

url in the INFORMATION  page confirms my observation that mason bees like to "hang together".

I usually see two or three return to the condo at the same time.  

April 26, 2020 Steady activity

The bees are showing steady activity but  not overwhelming.

The thing I have been noticing is
that when mason bees return to the bee condo, they typically do so in pairs.

April 24, 2020

Very little activity today. It was about 55 degrees F.  I only saw one bee
going into a tube.

I could not see any additional filled tubes.

April 23, 2020

Another day, another few bees,
I'll go outside and check in a few minutes.

Nothing new to report today. 
While mason bees are supposed to fly in the rain, it looks like they
are hiding out today. The light rain does seem to have an effect.

April 22, 2020

Basically  Condo#1  is at 30 filled tubes
                 Condo#2 is  at 25 filled tubes

This year a few bees have chosen the paper tubes.  I will be looking carefully
to see which is better,   parchment or computer paper.

I have some paper straws, it will be interesting to see if they worked.

April 21,2020

Condo#1  leads filled tube count with 29.  Condo# about 20

Weather was cool today , so bees were not very active.

Every day I check the routed wood trays and every day I find that
no bee has finished even one tube.  Next year I may no longer
was condo space with the worthless trays.

April 20, 2020

Mason bees have gotten serious.  They are finishing tubes made out of
all forms of tubes EXCEPT the  routed out trays.

I have seen a few bees entering but not one has been finished. I used a flashlight
this evening to inspect. It turns out not one tray has been even close to
finished.  I really think they are avoiding routed out wood trays.

April 19, 2020

More tubes are being added. Many bees are entering tubes, but just
 have not finished yet.

Also, at end of season, a tube may only have one cocoon. So it can
befinished, but it  has been set up as a Potemkin village type house. 
Where did the crazy bees come up with their ideas?

April 18, 2020

No significant events today.  Condo#1 has about 20 filled tubes.
Condo#2 has about 15 filled tubes.

I have noticed that tubes which are set back from the front are tending
to be filled first.  I think next year I will position the tubes so some of the
tubes have a  set back.

April 17 , 2020 big increase in mason bee nesting

Going to visit the bee condos. Will report back when new information
is gathered The bees are working dawn until dark.  Condo#2
has put itself in the top position with about 20 filled tubes.  Condo#1
 is showing about 16 tubes.

Bees are using bamboo tubes, routed trays, paper tubes and
cardboard tubes.  This is totally different from last year.

Last year only condo#2 had bees. Last year only bamboo tubes
 contained cocoons. Something changed.  I have no idea what
cause my bees to be not picky about
where to nest.

It is interesting.

April 16, 2020 Bees are working hard. Some bees use lots of care finishing each tube.

Condo#2 only has about 8 filled tubes but the residents are really making progress.
The black plastic shield on back of condo is there to add to heat for Condo#2

Many annuals provide pollen for  my bees.  Mostly tulips in this area.

April 15, 2020 Each condos update 8 tubes now filled👍👍

I have read that the bees work from dawn to dark.  That is why I see so many filled tubes by
the time I inspect the next day.  I estimate I see one bee hit the condo about each 15 seconds.


Some of the tubes are short so hard to see. So the total number of tubes

filled may be a few more than I can actually observe.  Typical activity today

 is 3 or 4 bees at a time buzzing  the condo. Condo#1 continues to appear 

the busiest but number of filled tubes is the same for both dwellings. Males

 are hanging around but I thing all mates have been found.  

As you see, the mason bee does not stick around long. Since they have no stinger, they must defend themselves by speed and stealth.

Tulips blooming, mason bees are welcome

Asian pear (20th Century) Mason bees are all over this puppy.

Rainier cherry in full bloom. Nice white cherry. Next to this tree is a bing cherry.
The bing cherry has buds but no blossoms yet.

Top hat variety of blueberry in full bloom. Mason bees love this.

April 14, 2020 Mason bees are😀 buzzing😀

Impressive how the bees are taking advantage of the routed-out wood trays. The more bees taking advantage of routed-out wood trays, the less work for me in October. All I need to do is open the tray and wash the little "buggers". Working on bamboo tubes is much more labor intensive.

April 13, 2020 24 carat Gold bricks are residents of Condo#1

Now condo#2 residents have finished 3 tubes.  Yet Condo#1 has yet to
finish even one tube,  There is limited activity at Condo#2 but there is
 some traffic. I will not be surprised if condo#2 adds yet another filled
tube by tomorrow.

Lots of activity in condo#1.  Bees appear very busy.  I think residents
of Condo#1 are a bunch of gold bricks.  They are just not getting the
job done.

6pm
Ok, here are the raw stats:
       Condo#1 finally has some filled tubes, 4 tubes
and Condo#2 has run up the score to 5 tubes.

I think the reason for Condo#2 performance may be the pear trees which
are currently in full bloom and are only 15 feet away.

If I can get a high  percentage of both condos loaded, I may have several
hundred cocoons by October harvesting.

The only difference I can think can make a difference between the two
condos is that Condo#2 gets morning sun.  Maybe the few hours of
morning sun contributes to more eggs being laid.  But by noon, Condo#1
 is getting some sun and the activity at Condo#1 amounts to 3 bees
constantly coming and going.

In October 2019, I removed all cocoons from the bamboo tubes. I rinsed
them off in a very dilute solution of bleach and water.  The result clearly
 was good.  This fall I will pay closer attention to the concentration and
 the length of time for the wash and rinse,

It turns out my storage of the cocoons in the breathable plastic cloth worked,
 I covered the bag with 1/4 inch hardware cloth.  I am going to have to rebuild
 the condos this fall/winter.  Condo#1 is not built very sturdy.   In fact, if I get
 a bumper crop of cocoons I may need to add a condo to the mix.

If I add a condo to the network, I will have to use paper tubes. I just do not
have enough bamboo to make up the number of tubes required.  One
bamboo branch will make only about 10 tubes.  My bamboo plants
dont produce more than 10 branches per year.

If  my bees grow from the cocoon count of 75 at the beginning of this season.
Let's assume 50% of the cocoons are male and 50% are female.
If 37 females  each produce 30 bees, then next year we will have
1,100 bees which will mean 550 females next spring.
I am going to set up houses next year to accomodate 600 bees.  (provide a little
extra room)

Going to have to get to work.

April 12, 2020 First nooner witnessed today.

Starting a new page for April 12, 2020

Super active bees going in and out of tubes in Condo#1.
However, no filled tubes in Condo#1. Some bees are opting for using
computer paper and cardboard tubes . Still the majority of bees choose
black bamboo tubes. I think they know those are the most pricey.

Condo#2 has a 2nd filled tube.  Of course it is a black bamboo.
I see very little activity around Condo#2.

If I stand near Condo#2 for more than 20 seconds in early afternoon,
I will always see bee activity.  I even saw a couple mating around noon.
Guess you would have to classify that as a nooner.  First time I have
seen mason bees so engaged.

April 11, 2020

No new filled tubes but bees are sticking their little heads out of the
tubes when I go on an inspection tour.   Activity level is high with three or
four bees coming and going within a 5 minute inspection period.

Most of the bees appear good size.  Although I don't have measurements, they
appear on the large side.

Looking into the cocoon bag, it appears that all the bees have emerged.

Every cocoon appears to have a large hole
I have noticed bees entering every type of tube:

parchment paper, cardboard , routed wood, bamboo tubes and computer
paper

I look forward to mid October when I will open all the tubes.

I don't think the bees have any idea what is going on regarding corona virus.

I suspect they are immune from the effects of the nasty covig19 virus.

April 10, 2020. Condo#2 gets the award for having 1st filled tube

First filled tube. Amazing it is in

condo #2

Do not see many bees flying around the area, but obviously

at least one bee has been busy.

April 9, 2020 Condo #1 has bees but condo #2 vacant

It is puzzling that Only condo#1 has  bees.
The condo#2 is on a wall which faces south. But it gets morning and afternoon
sun from both east and west.

Whereas condo#1 only gets some southern sun (after noon) and gets full sun
from the west  after noon.

The experts say east and south is the best position but my bee condos do
not seem  to validate that opinion.

The mason bees in my area seem to prefer full west exposure with half a day
southern sun.


Condo #1 gets lots of mason bee activity after 1 pm.

One thing I do not like is the appearance of  several very small ants.  I am
 wondering if these ants will cause a problem.

April 8, 2020 lots of bees today mason bees are open for business

A photograph of a bunch of  descendents of Swiss immigrants.

Most of these people were Mennonites. They lived all over the midwest and came together for a huge family reunion. The women in this photo were some of the best cooks in the United States at that time.   

Not one of the people in this photograph had any idea that someday their likeness would be published so anyone in the world could see it.

Most of the people in this picture (if not all) came to this reunion by one of two means of transportation, 1.) horse 2.) train     There were no automobiles and no airplanes.

The most important man in this photograph was John Dettweiler.

Watch the video closely.  Bees sometimes enter a tube , quickly exit and then find another tube. The reason is each female has a unique odor and she cannot STAND the smell of another female. So they get confused and go into the wrong tube. The smell is terrible so she exits quickly.  They appear to be quite confused regarding which is the correct tube. 

If you watch a condo for awhile, you will find the behavior quite humorous.

Amazing , the mason bees are using  the
Routed wood tubes this year. Last year they totally avoided them. In a few minutes i saw a
dozen flying around condo #1 and several entering and leaving tubes.
I don't think these bees know anything about virus problems. For sure they don't have any fear of parasites.  At the end of the season I have to break open the bamboo or paper tubes and discard cocoons which have been attacked by parasites.  Such cocoons must be destroyed because survival of the parasites will just cause more problems the next year.

I have much more activity this year than last year, I am optimistic , it looks like I will be able to harvest many times last year's small yield. I counted about 50 healthy cocoons.

April 07, 2 0 2 0 Mason Bees active but not overwhelming

I watched today as Bee Condo #1 was visited by 4 mason bees.
One of the bees, obviously a large female, rested on a seat about ten
feet from Bee Condo #1.

As usual, no bees were observed in the area around Bee Condo #2.

The weather was in high 50s (F) so we should be seeing filled tubes soon.

As yet not one tube is filled.

APRIL 5, 2 0 2 0

Several mason bees hovered around condo #1. Condo #2 continues to be avoided,

One large (obvious female mason bee hung on a west facing wall.

I have seen two cases where bees are leaving tubes. But I have yet to see any finished

tubes.

The photo which we see here shows how she does not look like a fly. Notice her
wings are held straight back while she is at rest.  Her color is basically black with some
fancy iridescents,   She is not anywhere near the first bee this year.  I am going to name
her Carol in honor of my sister. 

Some people say that a mason bee resembles a house fly. Not really. A house fly at rest hold its wings so that the animal
almost looks like a triangle. A mason be folds its wings straight back so it does not look like a triangle.

Mason bees fly fast and dart in random directions. By the way, small wolf spiders hang around the condo and look for an opportunity
to jump on a bee. Take a fly swatter and get rid of the monsters.

April 4, 2 0 2 0 Bees are on the move

Now it is Close to 2pm. On april 4.

Today i am seeing 2 to 4 bees at same time hovering around condo #1
No bees around condo#2

I discovered that observation of mason bees Is best from about 40 feet.
Mason bees are very skittish.

If the see any movement of a person closer than 30 feet

They just fly away.

Saw a small wolf spider on condo#1. I killed it.

In summary lots of bees today.
Temperature today is close to 60 F
I have also seen a few other hymenoptera around the place. On hummingbird bee, one honey bee
and a few bumble bees.
Things are looking up for the bees.

April 3, 2 0 2 0

I am still here still reporting on my bees.

WIll be going outside to count bees in a few hours

April 02, 2 0 2 0 cool weather continues

Just another cool day. Temperature is about 48 degrees F.
No mason bees are hanging around today. I have no idea where
the cute little rascals hide but they are not anywhere near
the mason bee condos.

I continue to hole up to avoid the chit-hole virus. People do walk around the
neighborhood, but no one stops to have a conversation. It looks like
everyone assumes the other person is a potential zombie.

No fooling

The mason bee condo #1
had three or four bees buzzing
The entry had one bee leaving a tube as i watched.
It has been in low 50s for
several days.
Maybe I can get videos in a few days.

March 31, 2 0 2 0 Bees !

I watched today as 3 mason bees struggled their way out of the cocoon.

After a few minutes, one bee took off like a shot. Then about an hour later
I saw her hanging on to the wall about 6 feet above her condo.

No tubes have yet to be filled. I have seen one bee enter a tube but I lost patience
and did not wait for her to emerge.

March 30, 2 0 2 0 Mason bees are missing

No mason bees today. There is far to much rain. It also continues to be cool. We are going to have to see some warm weather
and some dry days. I did have some bees emerge from cocoons a few days ago, but now there are no new bees.

Wish I could report better news.

I wonder if I should report fake news. Maybe the mason bees like fake news. I could make up statistics and say the bees
are doing something bad. Might be exciting.

march 29, 2 0 2 0

No bees , too cold
Spent my day studying radio theory

March 28

No bees today
It is cool and raining
Not great weather.
Very few blueberry blossoms.

March 27 cool weather, light rain

No bee activity of any kind,
Inspection of the bee condos resulted in no filled tubes.

The cool weather and light rain seems to be keeping the bees rather dormant.

Sure hope the temperature rises.

March 25 Times are crazy

Mason bees must be hiding from the rain. Besides it is not very warm. 40 to 50 degrees F is just
not good for bees. They like 60.

Have not seen a mason bee in two days.

April 12 I am the Network station for the Federal Way Wa Emergency Radio group. I will power
up my station at 7:30 pm and go through the preamble and the various sections of the
call.

March 23, 2 0 2 0 Monday so much rain

So much rain today, not worth checking the bee condos.
Will check tomorrow.

March 22

See 4 mason bees hovering above bee condo #1
They cling to wall approx 8  Feet above nest.
Temp 60F
Time 1:54 pm
Good activity  today. Seeing bees entering tubes.
Even using the routed trays. Very encouraging.
Bees tend to rest about 8 feet above bee condo.
Watched a bee emerging. That was a happy event.
After emerging she flew away.
All the rest of the bag is setup for easy escape.

.Hopefully they are out there pollinating and breeding

March 21, 2 0 2 0 Mason bees enjoying the warm spring day

I saw mason bees today. Not really possible to catch them in a photograph unless there are

many because they just fly so fast.  They are skittish.  Since they have no stinger, the fast flying behaviour is their defense.  

Seeing some mason bees.

Encouraging,     this bag of cocoons comes from my collection of bees out of the bamboo in October

flowers on "winter daphnia" very fragrant flowers.
I have 3 of these bushes. I think the bees like them.

"

my mason bee bag is protected from the nasty birds with the quarter inch hardware cloth
There are live bees in the bag. I have the top open to allow escape.

  I also open the bag wide to make it easiest to get out.

March 2 0, 2 0 2 0

A very nice mason bee was darting about condo-1 today.
No tubes have been filled and I did not witness a bee entering
a tube.
But with only one bee surveying the tubes, it is likely I will not see the real
activity for a few days.
Temperature was over 60 degree F today. Lots of sun.
I am optimistic that more bees will show up soon.

March 19, 2 0 2 0

NEWS
I saw an insect up on the wall where condo-1 is located.
The insect was so far away that I could not be 100% certain
but I think it was a mason bee.
I think it was a female because of its size (a bit on the large size).
It has been in 60 F so I think this may be the beginning

Night time temperatures are around 40 degrees F at night
and around 55 to 60 during day time.

These are good temperatures for mason bees.

So far I have seen only a few small wasps and one mason bee.

The mason bee I saw was certainly from my bees saved from
October 2019 because he was in the bag.

I look forward to finding mason bees any day now. I will check around the
bee condos every day.

I have a dozen medium sized blueberry bushes of various varieties.
In all my bushes there are only about 7 flowers are in bloom.

The bees may know the flowers are not in bloom and the bees may
be waiting for the flowers.

I do have many other flowers:  bleariana plum, daffodils (dozens), crocus, winter daphne,
HYACINTHS AND GRAPE HYACINTHS.
So there are plenty of flowers. Just no bees.

This is a terrible situation, older people are stuck at home. A virus lurks in the
bodies of any number of people walking around loose.  I cant imagine
when the world will get back to pre 2020  times.

March 18, 2020 Day after St Patricks day NO BEES NO BEES

Going outside to check on the mason bees (MB)

I will snap a photo if I see one
Stay tuned  1:51 pm
I spent about a half hour looking for mason bees. No activity at all.
This is real disappointing.
a
I  about 30 cocoons from last fall. Yet it only appears that one emerged.
Today it got up to 60 F degrees.
I saw few small wasps but nothing else. No bumble bees, no honey bees and
worst of all no mason bees.

              seems warm enough, BTW, you may wonder why I put  hardware cloth over the thermometer,  The reason 

          is racoons are very active in this area,  they think it is necessary to knock it                              down,  so I protect the device 

watched for activity for 20 minutes, alas, NOTHING

great x?? grandfather

March 17, 2020 5;36 pm St Patrick's Day

I thought the mason bees emergence would be important
No, not significant, so far it didn't happen

I thought Pi day would be important, it wasn't

I though the Ides of March would be important, it wasn't

The only thing of significance has been the lousy corona virus.
Hope it doesn't affect my bees.😈
Midday temperatures have been consistently 50 F  or slightly higher
What ever I write , no one reads.

Walking around the yard and inspecting the mason bee condos I saw no
mason bees.  I did see an flying insect about the size of a mason bee high up
on the wall near the mason bee condos, but I could not see if it was a housefly
or a mason bee. It was just too far away.

I checked the bag of cocoons to see if there was any movement. None seen.

I have read that it is a bad idea to purchase mason bee cocoons by mail because it
can contribute to spreading mason bee diseases and parasites.
So I am just going to stand pat.  They either want my condos or they don't.

March 16, 2020

Not a single bee yet,
It is just too cold

The corona virus is shutting down everything.

Our radio club has no place to meet.

THE IDES OF MARCH March 15, 2020

Well 3.14 is over and the weather has not been warm enough to encourage
any mason bees to emerge in my yard.

The temperature was at 50 degrees F. But that was a high not an average.

I hope I can see some mason bees soon.

Well, the mason bees ignored the illustrious Pi Day. I will be searching all day
to see if a mason bee will show up on this famous (infamous depending on whether
or not you are/were a fan of Julius Caesar) day.

here is Pi So now is after midnight Happy pi day !

http://www.pi314.net/eng/index.php

Pi squared (Π²) is 9.8696…, which, if you round to 9.87 and ignore the decimals, is 987, the 17th number of the Fibonacci series

MARCH 13 one more day until Pi day it is coming MARCH 14

Yes indeed just one more day until Pi day
Yes indeed just one more day until Pi day
No bees yet

3.14
March 14
Einsteins birthday
big deal

Mason bees love pi day,,, no note Pie day,  Pi day

I love my mason bees
My bee condos are ready for occupation
Not a bee in sight

3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679

I must have cut at least a dozen bamboo sticks.  Once cut , I need to
cut to the 4 to 5 inch length. Then if the stick is at a node, the node has
to be trimmed so they can be stacked.  I probably have one third of the tubes
made out of parchment paper.   Last year, the bees avoided the parchment
paper.  

It is not difficult to remove the bees from the bamboo. Just crack the tube at the front
and then break it open.  Dump the cocoons onto a large clean cloth.  The
the bees get a quick wash with a VERY dilute solution of  bleach in water.
I have to get all the yellow pollen off and make sure the cocoons look healthy.
I keep them in a box on the north side of my shed. That way they are shaded and
I cover the bag with quarter inch hardware cloth.

March 11, 2020

Still cold . Looked for mason bees and found none.
My bee condos are open for business. This is March 11
3 more days until  Pi day


This corona virus thing is making a mess out of everything.  Hope my mason
bees don't worry about it.

3.1
4  Pi day is coming

I am attempting to sell trout flys on ebay.
I will report on success or failure.

March 10, 2020

No bees yet.
4 day until pi day
All Mason Bees celebrate the day by emerging.
At least I think that is why they emerge on the day.
Probably some connection with Albert Einstein who
shares his birthday with March 14.

Can't help but wonder if Julius Ceasar thought there
was anything special about the day before the Ides
of March.

March 6, 2020 The world wide celebration of Pi day approaches

3.14 is a milestone day for mason bees.  They all know about it.

March 6 is the count down to 8  for March 14

Mason bees may be small but they are powerful pollinators.

I don't expect any bees until 3.14 but I will keep a look out.

There were a grand sum total of zero today.

I use a chromebook to update this blog. I also use my smart phone for most photos.
I will be sure to take a photo of a corona virus if I see one. Of course, I will only take
a picture of a corona virus if I can recognize it.  Maybe I ought to be realistic?
People remark that mason bees do not sting.From my observations the mason bee
does not need to sting. The fly very fast. They dont stay long in one spot

Has anyone every heard of Alexander Ulrice? He would have been born between 1841 to 1861. He would have lived in Mecosta, Michigan between 1881-1882.

I plant lots of flowers which are scheduled for early spring.