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.