Our first official meeting via Zoom was held last Tuesday. Thanks to skilled technical management a social time was accomplished after the presentation. Just like in real life some good topics came up, one of which was mason bee hotels. A number of people wanted to know more. Margy offered to share the story of building her bee hotel. You will find this, and some of my experiences in housing our little friends, in today's post.
This is one of Margy's bee hotels.
Margy got started with just two little bees she found living on her float home. Here is the link to see her step by step account powellriverbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=mason+bees. Be sure to scroll all the way down her page to get both posts and follow the links to get the full story.
I like the above hotel for two reasons:
It is small. Small size minimizes the loss from predators and disease. Woodpeckers like nothing better than a feast from a large hotel. Mites will spread like wildfire through a dense population of bees.
Mason bees can tolerate a crowd but there are other solitary bees who prefer smaller groups thus you are providing habitat for a diversity of species. The definition solitary refers to species of bees who do not require the social structure of a hive to reproduce.
It is made from natural materials. Some man made or non native materials create an environment susceptible to pests, mold, fungus, and disease. Bamboo is a major culprit as it retains moisture.
Which brings me to the golden rule of bee hotels-Keep It Clean. Bees will naturally reject any diseased holes. If your aim is to have them around for pollination you need to provide bee approved accommodation. (Solitary bees are much more effective pollinators than honey bees). If your goal is to benefit the planet by increasing the population of bees, encouraging them to nest in materials which will deteriorate and ultimately kill them is doing more harm than good.
Click on this site for a comprehensive guide to managing your bee hotel.
beebuilt.com/blogs/backyard-beekeeping-blog/everything-you-need-to-know-before-keeping-mason-bees
It is well worth building your own bee hotel. It is cheaper than buying one. Commercial ones may be designed for looks rather than function. Managed properly they help increase the bee population. I started with buying 20 bees and now have well over a hundred hatching each year. If you want to buy a starter group, they are advertised locally on Facebook and can also be purchased through websites including West Coast Seeds. The alternative is to use the build it and they will come method.
One of my hotels
The small box on the side is the release box. We keep our cocoons in the 'fridge over winter and place them in the box when our trees and fruit bushes are in bloom. It is fun to see the bees pouring out through the hole in the side once they have warmed up.
Do you have a hotel? Send your pictures to the blog: powellrivergardenclub@gmail.com
or post on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/Powell-River-Garden-Club-410077229025018
More info on building a hotel, ignore where they suggest bamboo as a building material, otherwise it's a good resource. www.treehugger.com/how-build-hotel-wild-bees-4863814
About the bees themselves https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/mason-bees.html
Thank you for your inspiring post. I have been thinking about making mason bee hotels for a few years and your post has given me enough inspiration to try. It looks like the first photo interior is made of driftwood pieces; great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my mason bee hotel experience. I love your idea about a release box. Sometimes we can't be at the cabin at the exact time the bees are ready to emerge. - Margy
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