I was sorting though the cocoons (very gently) when I came across a cocoon which looked a bit shriveled. I thought I would peel off the shell a inspect.
So I carefully peeled off the shell. Soon I discovered that the contents did appear to be an insect. So (thinking it was some sort of parasite) I peeled off the entire shell. Lo and behold a mason bee emerged.
I gave the bee the name Matilda because the bee was large which is a main characteristic of a female. I photographed her but she was a bit camera shy and she flew away (a good sign she is healthy). Basically, as soon as she was completely recovered from her ordeal of emerging from the cocoon, she took to the air. The photo shown is the best of the three photos which she "sat for" . Note that Matilda is not the bee in the video of the previous post. The name of the mason bee in the video is Bertha.
Upon inspecting the south wall of the house where condo 2 is mounted, I saw her on the window frame.
I observed two other bees which were quite small. Both were sitting high up on the wall, so I could not be sure they were mason bees. If they were mason bees, they would be males. I am giving the males the names Alex and George(family names). Of course, I couldn't tell you which is which.
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