April 6 Rainy day, hard to even inspect things

rain rain
no activity
The clay gets fresh rainwater, so that is a plus.
Went to dinner and a show. While the show was very
entertaining the dinner was totally awesome.

April 3

16 tubes filled
Hope the bees get to work

April 2, day after April fools' day Ma Kettle gets a name

By 3pm  condo-2 remains at 14 filled bee cocoon tubes.

Interestingly, one bee tube is nearly 1/2 in diameter. The bee has been working on it furiously for at least a week.  I decided to name her Ma Kettle. She is noisy and really busy.  Actually, she is nearly finished with the tube.

There are another 4 bees which are also very busy. I am surprised their nests are as yet not filled. I notice that when they return to their nests they typically return as a group. While they are supposed to be a "solitary bee", they do seem to have some limited social behaviors.

April ...Fools'... Day

I will update the blog at about noon or so

At noontime, I noticed no new filled tubes.

I did have one bamboo tube which was filled last summer.
I kept it refrigerated until now. I put it out today.
I am worried that the humidity was not properly controlled but we will see if any bees emerge.

Last fall I did not take care to humidify the refrigerated cocoon tube. My mistake.  Hopefully, it worked anyway.
================
3:00 pm
Condo-2 now has 12 filled nests.  It appears that bees are utilizing all unfilled tubes so within a week or so I expect all the tubes to be filled.  We have so many bees that when I stand in front of the condo-2 and watch the action, I typically see 3 bees entering tubes within a minute.   Some of the tubes have been filled so far that I can frequently see the bee working in a tube (head in or head out).

As I said several days ago, one of the tubes on the left side is close to a half inch
in diameter. I observed a bee who is very busy on the half inch hole.  Considering the total cubic volume, there should be a large number of cocoons when the bee is finished.

The condo-2 with the bamboo is by far the most active. Paper tubes have very little action. Routed out bee trays have very little action.

Finally, at 6pm There are 14 filled nests.
I wonder what the count will be at 6pm tomorrow?
Considering increases over the past few days, 
the number ought to be 16 or 17   we will see

Today this blog exceeded 1,000 views for the first time.
Not a big deal (actually a very small deal)but it is a milestone.

March 31, 2019 Mason Bee update

March 31

I checked the condos today at noon.
No new filled bamboo tubes.
However, lots of activity in Condo-2.
I notice some bees will go in head first and then come out of the tube
and back into the tube. Seems to me they are going to lay an egg when they
back in.

I have noticed the bee who uses the huge diameter hole, does so repeatedly.
She does not seem to be larger than the other bees but maybe she is simply
able to lay more eggs in such a large tube since each egg will take up less length.

Condo-1 continues to be extremely low activity.
As of 6:30 pm the completed cocoon tube count is at 11.  in condo-2

It seems like there is a difference in color for several clay types in Condo-2.
A few are the same light color as the clay I mixed up.  Most are dark brown clay.

March 30 Mason bee update

March 30  Optimism is the word of the day.  I like to see more and more bamboo tubes filling up with clay.   It appears that the clay being used by the mason bees is the same
as the little pot of clay, I provided.

I checked the bees this morning. Nothing new. One bee was hanging out on the
condo-2.  Not much activity.  Count of filled tubes still stands a 6.
6 was this morning
=====================================================
Now at 6:45 pm the count stands at 8 and a half.  The half-tube will probably be filled in a day or two.

If the typical cocoon tube contains 10 cocoons, then we are talking 80 plus bees for
next year.  I hope this represents only half because there remain up to four weeks left in the season.  We will see.

Judging by the activity, I should see several more filled tubes in a few days.

For sure next year condo-2 will be relocated to the south side of the house with
an eastern morning exposure.  The western wall gets absolutely no morning sun.

March 29, 2019 Mason Bee update

March 29

I just checked the bees.  Condo-2 has 6 filled bamboo tubes. Several other tubes have shown activity so I expect several other tubes to be filled in a few days.

Condo-1 has yet to display much activity.  I know my  paper diy tubes are simply too large in diameter,  I would say the diameters are 8 or 9 mm. Just too big.

The position of condo-2 is basically on the west side of the building.  The position of
condo-1 is on the southwest corner.   According to many sources, the condos should
be on a northeast corner of a building with full morning sun.

I was at a grocery store today. I purchased some paper straws. I will be installing them in vacant spaces, I hope they will attract some bees.

March 28 Mason bee update

Good activity on condo-2 today. The temperature was low to mid-60ºs. F

While only 3 bamboo tubes are filled, many bees are busy filling several tubes.  One weird mason-bee flew into a huge tube hole and stayed there. I think the tube is close to a half inch in diameter.

Then, I saw a few bees squeeze themselves into 5 mm holes.   I saw one bee back into her nest hole.  Most bees go in head first.  On the other hand, when the holes are viewed at night with a flashlight, I always see their heads.

I still see little or no activity on condo-1. The homemade tubes do not seem to attract any mason bees.  Maybe by the end of May, I will see some use.  Next spring the tubes in condo-1 will be better-crafted tubes.  I will make them much smaller.

I think a better way to use routed out wooden trays would be to make them then insert custom made paper tubes.

I wonder if anyone has ever done a study which offers a reason why mason bees approach the nest in a very erratic fashion. Another behavior which is interesting is that often a bee will approach the nest then do a power climb. Frequently they climb 30 feet straight up. Amazing.

March 27 installed a few "compostable" white straws

March 27
Just as a test, I installed a few "compostable" white straws

The straws seem like their made out of  plastic, but the package said the material was not plastic. Supposed to be made from compostable plant material.  I am not at all sure these straws are any good.

On the left side of condo-2, one of the bamboo tubes has been completely filled.
So as of this morning, there are two filled tubes.  There are a few bees working on
other tubes.  I am looking forward to completed holes in the removable wooden trays.
So far I have only seen activity on one hole in the removable wooden trays.
It looks like there is a third hole being used, but not nearly filled yet.
Moderate activity around condo-2 today. No activity around condo-1.

Temperatures in the mid-50s.

Put a plastic bottle filled with compostable straws on the fence today. The fence receives morning sun. It faces directly east🌞. Some people say the bee condo should face east. So  I put this up on the fence facing east. 

I went outdoors to check on the two condos after sundown.  It turns out that with the use of a flashlight I could see the faces of bees in 3 bamboo tubes. I checked the wooden trays.  I could see no bees in those holes.

It is 118 miles from Federal Way to the Canadian border.   So the activity of the mason bees here, should not be much different from Canada.

March 26 mason bee update (reaction to a bar magnet)

No new breaks. Of the 8 tubes, 6 have had bees emerge.
Condo-2  continues to be quite active.  Today a bee was quite busy
packing a bamboo tube on the left side of the condo.
No activity on condo-1.

I tried a little "experiment".  I took a magnet and set it on the sill at the
bottom of condo-2.  I was amazed to see a mason-bee hover with great excitement
in front of the bar magnet.  Very interesting observation.  I intend to investigate
this activity.
I need to take a video of this behavior.  Maybe some enterprising grad student has
done a thesis on this behavior.  It makes sense that bees use magnetic environmental
cues to fly.  I see studies regarding honey bees have been recorded.

I can say the mason bee's reaction to a magnet was amazing.
I bought some paper straws today. I have several spaces in the bee condos. I intend
to install them within the next few days.

March 25, 2019 Mason Bee update (& comments on Bumblebees)

Cool weather in the low 50s and extremely light rain(almost just a mist).
No bees were observed and no holes completed since yesterday.

I see in the news that Bombus affinis  (rusty patch bumble bee) has a stressed
population.  Experts are saying this.  (I am no expert.)   Although I know field identification is tricky, I thought I spotted numerous of the little critters
last year and especially in 2017.

===========================================

Now that Bombus affinis (the common name:  rusty patch bumble bee) has been declared U.S. Endangered Species Act Status: Endangered
as was reported by the Xerces Society (they are reputed to be experts).,
Xerces has requested field observations.   (B affinis was listed March 21, 2017
one week after Pi day)

So this summer I will have my little Cannon camcorder out in the yard and will be
taking both still and video pictures.  I look forward to July.  No question about it,
my amateur identification needs to be backed up with photos.  When I get some good photos, I will show them on this blog. I don't think I can responsibly just say I saw one.

The most common type of bee in my back yard during the summer are various species of bumblebee. By the middle of June, the mason bees will be cocooned. So from then on, I will be photographing bumblebees..

March 24 Sunday Mason Bee Update

According to several sites, the diameter for Mason and leafcutter bees
range from

Diameter

• 4/16 inch (6.35 mm) (or 1/4")
• 5/16 inch
• 6/16 inch (9.525 mm) (or 3/8")

So, the measurements will be from 6 mm to 10 mm I wrapped the paper around pencils. That turned out to be way too big. Bees seem to have avoided anything except the small holes.

I plan to use a variety of dowels to roll paper & ensure I get a range of sizes.

For next year, I will be preparing tubes in a range of diameters. The experts seem to
say that bamboo is not so good. That may be true, but the mason bees seem to prefer
the bamboo. The routed out wood trays have thus far only one bee.

Also, I intend to make some smaller ones because the first tube filled in my

condo-2 was a bit smaller than 1/4 inch.

I intend to make a few small ones and large ones as a test. 5 mm and 11 mm.

Of course, I will mark them with a black marker to indicate the "outlier" sized tubes.

I look at this effort partly following instructions and partly experimental.

on my "wonderful bees" youtube channel, I have posted a video showing the clay mud
I mixed up for the bees. It is a very light color of gray so maybe I will be able to tell which
bees actually use it for their cocoon nest tube.

observations.

I notice that sometimes a mason bee approaches the condo but just loiters around for a couple of minutes and then fly away.

In some cases, two bees will seem to engage in a dog fight and then one or both leave the area.

Snow Storm blankets city just a month before March 14

A snowstorm rages just a month before Einstein's

birthday (3.14) which is the date for mason bees

emergence.

But when spring comes, so do the blue herons. This beautiful predator will not allow a human to get very close. I film at a distance and I don't make any sudden moves. 

Sometimes there is both a male and a female. They seem to like Country Lake.  The best place to view them is at the northwest corner of the lake.  I think they like it because very few people walk in that area.

March 23 Mason Bee Update

March 23  Mason Bee Update

I will be going outside to check on temperature and mason bee activity
No rain so that makes moving around outside better for man and bee
The temperature today at noon is 54 degrees F.
No bee activity.
I noticed one of the tubes is close to being filled up. Probably, only a day or two
until it is filled.

I went out to inspect the bee condos.  I was surprised to find two bees peaking
their heads out of their nest holes.  They looked like there was some "thinking"
going on.  Typically, mason bees seem to try to escape the area if I am within 3 feet
of the condo.
I have a couple videos. In fact, I'm letting the computer download the videos
right now. Still processing.

I have been watching Dale Robertson's old western movies. I read somewhere that he could tell if a rider really knew about horses just by watching him around the horse. I notice that when Robertson mounts a horse, he first grabs the horn and basically hopes up and his
foot somehow knows exactly how to hit the stirrup.  The way he does it, looks like he is very comfortable at horseriding.

Maybe I ought to write a poem today.
I'm thinking about that.

Look on the right side of the video. You can see one tube is completely filled with clay. Then just to the left and slightly down, you can see a mason bee poking her head out of a tube. But be patient, you will see her fly away.

I have seen one bee enter the routed out wood.  Seems to be a rare occurrence
in my bee condo.  I noticed that the one bamboo tube which has filled turns out
to have a straw sized hole and the walls of the bamboo are quit thick.

March 22 Mason bee update now 8 days since the march 14 emergence

March 22 update
It has been 8 days since the March 14 start of mason bee emergence.
I'm wondering when the last two tubes will breakout.


I checked the condos and found no new completed tubes. In fact, at the time (10am)
I found no activity.

I will check later today.
-----
afternoon comments
No new completed tubes.
A few busy bees. Not big activity.
Cool weather today.  from 50 to 60 degrees F
For the first time, I saw a bee enter the routed out block.
bottom row, second from right
I will keep an eye on it
-----
by the way, only 2 of the 4 tubes in condo-1 have breakouts
I'm worried that the two remaining tubes have bad cocoons

=------

Time

Now exists for sure.

I can see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, smell it

Yesterday, I can remember it.

Tomorrow, I can anticipate it.

But my memory of yesterday may be incorrect.

My anticipation of tomorrow may be incorrect.

Only now is correct for sure.

At least it appears I can see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, smell it

by John Bishop

Mar 21 Good & important news regarding mason bee condos (and poem)

I have been waiting for this day since September 2017 when I installed my first mason bee condo.  By September 2018 I saw no results. So the news I report here is most satisfying.

I checked condo-2 at 4:30 PM today(March 21,2019). One tube is entirely filled.

Below see the first fine tube, completely filled. It is on the right side of the condo. It is bamboo with a very thick wall.

Two other tubes appear to be partially filled.

But for me, the big news is I have one partially filled tube in condo-1

The bee choose the paper straw tube in the very bottom left of 

condo-1.  I see a small hole in the clay. The clay mud which I provided is on the

ground about 3 feet from the condo-1 AND it is interestingly the same color as the stuff in this tube. 

Condo-1 is mostly loaded with pencil-sized-diameter tubes. However, there are only 7

paper straws.  One of the paper straw is the one which is partially filled.

I don't know if this occurred this year or what.

Interestingly the condo-2 tube (bamboo) which is totally filled has very think

walls. Seems to be the thickest walled bamboo tube in the condo.  Don't know

if that is significant but it is interesting.

Since the first tube filled is March 21, that indicates a go-getter bee can fill

a tube in one week.  I expect several tubes should get filled by March 28, that gives

the slow bees an extra week.
I may just line the router wood with paper straws for next year. I wonder if that would work better?

I recently read that the spearmint plant will chase mason bees away.  I did have about 6 plants in my yard.  As of today, I have removed all of them.

Saga of the Mason Bee

• 
  
• The ancient mason bee, she darts, she stops, she loops then she’s quite.
• She checks carefully every hole
• In seconds she seems to know
• She sticks her head in the nest
• And in she goes
• She works.
• 
  
• She lays a wonderful egg or two every day of every seven day week
• When she leaves her nest, she explodes from the tube
• She flies straight, true like a bullet fired from a gun
• Back to the garden and the flowering plum
• In a weeks time, a tube filled
• She lives 7 weeks and dies
•    
• She rarely stings, she is fleet of wing, she is uncatchable
• If approached, she flys away, she is so stealth
• 11 months develop her eggs into larvae then pupa
• At 50 degrees,  emerge
• Many daughters choose pi day
• For over 28 million years
• 😀by John Bishop

March 20, 2019 Mason Bee update with several surprises

Checked on the mason bee condos.

A new video has been posted on youtube     "wonderful bees"
Condo-2 is extremely active. Bees coming and going every minute or so.
I observed 4 or 5 bees either entering or exiting tubes simultaneously.  I was amazed.

I spent about 20 minutes watching the comings and goings of the bees.  I noticed a mix
of behaviors.  One behavior was a bee entering a tube and then quickly leaving. Sometimes they go in and leave me waiting ... they don't seem to exit.  Lastly, the go in
and spend about 1 minute.  One problem is I can't tell one bee from another and I can't
remember which tube is which.

An observance which surprised me was this: the bees are only choosing the bamboo tubes. That makes no sense.
I did not see one bee entering or leaving the routed out tubes.  I thought the routed out wood would be the best because the size seemed exactly correct. But as I watched bees choosing holes, they did not pick the same size tube.  Sometimes bees like extremely small and sometimes big and everything in between.

I observed Condo-1 and to my surprise, there was no activity.  The tubes I  purchased were broken at the end on only 2 of the 4 tubes. Maybe it is the location?
The condo-1 is located on the  SW corner of the house facing south. Something is wrong.  I rolled all the tubes in condo-1. Each tube is made of white paper liner and a cardboard outer shell. Disappointing because I spent a lot of time rolling those tubes.

I have a pot of wet clay near the SW corner of my house. I  no bee activity on the clay. Maybe they have discovered their own source?

Weather was quite warm in the 70s. No rain. Few clouds. Some wind gusts.
I noticed bee activity near the condo-2 seemed to increase with the presence of wind gusts.

 What is a mason bee in other languages

mason  bee      English

abeille maçon    French

Maurer Biene   German

пчела масон   Russian

ong thợ Vietnamese

beach beach    Irish
梅森蜜蜂 Chinese

Méisēn mìfēng Chinese simplified

When mason bees emerge ? This is Easy to remember

It just occurred to me. In the future, I will always know when the mason bees
will emerge. I only have to remember Pi day and coincidently Albert Einstein's birthday.

When the mathematicians celebrate, the mason bees emerge.

I posted two videos on  "wonderful bees"    on youtube

I posted some videos on "wonderfull bees" on youtube.

I posted some videos on "wonderfull bees" on youtube.

Fred and Gabriel have acquired a one year lease to condo-2.

To review :  the breakouts,  condo-1 now has two breakouts out of four tubes.

Condo-2 has four breakouts out of four tubes.  I did not see any bee activity around
either condo this morning. In fact, I did not observe any mason bee activity
anywhere in the yard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred and Gabriel Hymenoptera are a beezee couple. They are from the ancient royal family of Megachilidae. Fred and Gabriel have a number of relatives in the area.

Today I saw a distant cousin buzzing around the yard. He was Yellow J. Hymenoptera. (Yellow's middle name is Jack-et).

The condo needs an address.   The address assigned by humans will not work for
Fred and Gabriel.   So their address will be:
 condo-2 B Street
 City of Megachilidae
 Country of Hymenoptera

Currently, there are no identified residents of condo-1.  But as soon as all the tubes
are cracked, I am sure we will see the new residents. They will be also offered a one year lease.

The way these leases will work, the descendants may continue the lease if the mother of the household will simply check-in to any one of the available tubes. Tubes will be assigned numbers according to a system agreed upon by the residents.

Winter daphne

I have a winter daphne shrub in the yard.  I have inspected the bush each day this spring. I have not yet observed any mason bees loitering around the bush. This
is disappointing because the flowers though small are very fragrant.

I was reading about mason bees on the web.  I discovered that some people say that
spearmint is repulsive to mason bees.  I have a lot of spearmint plants in my garden.  I am going to rip that stuff out.

Fred and Gabriel came from condo-2 (I am only sure about Gabriel)

I suspect both Fred and Gabriel (mason bees) came from condo-2.  The reason is
they were hanging around condo-2.  But I saw Gabriel actually sitting on top of
the end of the cocoon tube.
I think I will make little signs and label the bee condos as condo-1 and condo-2.

This whole project will only be successful if cocoon tubes result.  The project
includes 6 phases beginning in Spring 2019.

phase 1 purchase and mounting of bee condos in sprint 2019
phase 2 purchase and mounting of bee cocoon tubes purchases from somebody on
             the internet in spring 2019
phase 3  making sure there is wet clay in the area so the bees will have some
              clay for room separation in spring and summer 2019
phase 4  collecting the tubes in the fall and storing them in fall 2018 until spring 2020
phase 5  putting the cocoon tubes out in spring 2020
phase 6  waiting for the Ides of March 2020 to see mason bee emergences 
              If we get an emergence, we have success  !  


I hope Fred and Gabriel (&  associates) contribute to the successful completion
of this project.

March 18 Update on bee condos with one AWESOME BEE

I checked the bee condos today at about 11:30 am
One awesome bee (see below for VIDEO) was sitting on the front of condo-2. Judging from the size
it was a female. I got a good photo and will try to publish it today.
Condo-1 has a second broken tube but I did not observe any bees loitering around the
condo-1.

The mason bee observed sitting on the front of condo-2 kept still for about 10 minutes.
It was the first time I had such a good look at a mason bee. Usually, they are so skittish that they fly away after only about 30 seconds, at most.
I called the first bee out of condo-2 by the name Fred (random type name).
The random I will give to the new awesome female is Gabriel.

Temperature is measured at 64 ⁰ F at noon today. According to the weather forecast,
the temperature my reach 69 ⁰ F.
Observing these little rascals, I can see why some people say they look like
flys. Well they do not have the body shape of flys, they do have the skittish
way of flying. I think that is partly why they don't need the stinger equipment.
No bird can catch them.
Here is the mud bucket. Basically, it is kitty litter with a reasonable amount of water.
It is just like clay so I hope it will work. The only problem may be, it does seem to
dry out rather quickly. I will need to freshen the water nearly every day.

For those interested I am using a Canon HDT-cx405.

List of common names for Miner and Mason bees (including link to complete list)

Miner Bees

Andrena, commonly called the mining bee or miner bee, is the largest genus in the family Andrenidae but we always have to assume that some species are yet to be discovered...happy hunting!

wikipedia has a great deal of material but I have tried to show a direct relationship from the official scientific binomial nomenclature and the common names. Sometimes people get confused on which is which.
Below is an extremely incomplete list in alphabetic order

 According to Wikipedia, the genus includes over 1,300 species

(complete list of the mining bees      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Andrena_species)

Andrena carantonica   'Chocolate Mining Bee'

Andrena fulva,              ’tawny mining bee’

Andrena marginata,      ‘small scabious mining bee’

Andrena lauracea          a rare bee species with no current common name

================================================================================
Mason Bees

Osmia, commonly called the mason bee. Includes over 300 species

(complete list of the mason bees  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Osmia_species)

Below is an incomplete list in alphabetic order

Osmia atriventris       Main blueberry bee

Osmia avosetta         a rare bee, it covers cocoon with flower petals and mud

Osmia bicolor            red-tailed mason bee, nests in empty snail shells but has no common name

Osmia bicornis          red mason bee

Osmia caerulescens blue mason bee

Osmia californica      California mason bee

Osmia cornifrons       hornfaced mason bee

Osmia cornuta           European orchard bee

Osmia inermis            mountain mason bee

Osmia latreillei          this bee no common name

Osmia lignaria           orchard mason bee or blue orchard bee

Osmia ribifloris          blueberry bee

Osmia uncinata         pinewood mason bee,

Osmia xanthomelana   large mason bee
of course, this is not an endorsement about any website or anything else :)

set of photos and videos------from March 17

Here are some photos and videos

Mason-bee condo update photos to be posted later today ! MARCH 17

Update on my mason-bee condos.

Condo-2 's 4 tubes all have breakouts.  Two of the breakouts are quite
small, probably due to the first breakouts are all male and males are small.

Once again, I checked condo-1 and has a breakout today. I got a video of
a newly emerged bee just after he emerged. He was sitting on the end of the tube.
Temperature is over 50⁰ F up to 60⁰ F

No bees on the walls.
I did see not even one male hanging around the daffodils.

The flowering plum is flowering today. Looks like less than about 5% of the
buds have blossomed.  I saw no bees on the plum.
Took some photos and videos to be posted later.
These bees are very shy of photos. They tend to be quite skittish.

Wild Bees, Wasps and Ants and Other Stinging Insects

search      gutenberg     wild bees  wasps ants


gutenberg  provides this book for free

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.

March 9 mason bee UPDATE 1st bee of season

I'm naming this boy Fred,

he was on the wall (south) about two feet below the mason bee dwelling.(sure hope he is a mason bee)

March 9   Mason Bee update

Why did I name the first mason bee of the year Fred?  Firstly, he is small and secondly, he is definitely one of the very first bees of the year. Both of those hints tell us he is a male and the males emerge first
 But why Fred?  No reason.... but he has to have a name.😁😁

Please notice the plastic covers on my Mason bee houses. This keeps the rain
off and ensures the tubes remain dry. I use (Costco)plastic apple packaging.

I will go to see the bee tubes in a few minutes.  I saw no new breaks in tube
ends.  However, I think the small critters may be male mason bees. The males
always emerge first and they are supposed to be quite small.

The temperature at 1:30 pm  48 F

Not likely to see much activity until March 10, but you never know.
IF ANYONE CAN IDENTIFY THE LITTLE CRITTER AS BEING A MASON BEE OR NOT, PLEASE COMMENT.

The only tubes with bees are at the top of the house. Notice of the 4 tubes, 2 have breakouts

March 8 Mason bee update

March 8

=========
Mason bee update
The temperature at 3:15 pm  39 F
No new emerged bees.  Of course, that is totally predictable
since the temperature is so low.  Still waiting for March 10 when
the temperature rises.

March 7 Mason bee update

March 7

Time to update progress on the mason bees.  No new emergences today.
I checked all eight tubes and only the first two showed broken mud.

The temperature was in the high 30s.  The snowfall from last evening is almost completely melted.

CANADA: commodities that require an import permit

List of propagative plant material and other commodities that require an import permit if originating (i.e. place of propagation) from the Continental United States

copy and put in a browser   to see the entire website

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-pests-invasive-species/imports/permit-usa/eng/1343427289390/1343427392092

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

15 Best Profitable Plants for Backyards & Small Acreage

Share This Book! This is a free eBook.

It’s easy … just tell them to go directly to these web sites, www.profitableplants.com or www.profitableplantsdigest.com and copy below into a browser to read the book. This allows you to get a copy directly

 15 Best Profitable Plants for Backyards & Small Acreage

         copy below into a browser to read the book
https://www.profitableplantsdigest.com/how-to-start-a-bonsai-business/

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

FREE BOOK: The Mason-Bees by Jean Henri Fabre

  FREE BOOK:   The Mason-Bees

This is a book written by Jean Henri Fabre (1823–1915).

The Guttenberg project released it for free distribution,

You can read it by simply viewing it online...

copy the following URL into a browser in order to read the book
just search for

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almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

March, 6 observations of my mason bees

March 6

Wet snow and large flakes.   Sticking to grass but no sticking to streets, (yet?)
Today being March 6 and the temperature is 36 F.
Two tubes have holes, so I pity the poor little guys who sprung early.  This weather
should slow them down.
I am waiting for the forecasted 50 F on March 10.
We will have to wait and see.
Go to archives and see:

• Lists of Home and Garden show.  I think such shows are great places for learning about bonsai  trees 
• Also, see the book "The Mason Bees" by J Fabre (the famous biologist, died in 1915)

March 5 ======== Temperature is 42 F today at 10am

March 5
========
Temperature is 42 F today at 10am, the high hit about 45 F.
So, I checked on the mason bee tubes
No new breaks. Of course, bees could be emerging from existing
broken tubes.
I checked the tubes shortly before dusk.  No breaks in any of the remaining
6 tubes.
I know the daytime temperatures reach 50F on March 10. Looking forward to the
emergence on or soon after that date.
See videos of bees in my garden
www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQUKPKQ6Mc3V4AO38Br99w?