Fall Garden Tasks - Harvesting Mason Bee Cocoon

Fall maintenance for mason bee houses includes cleaning the nesting box and storing the cocoons for the winter. Mason beekeepers usually keep nesting boxes with the goal of helping our local bees and perhaps also to increase pollination of fruit trees. Mason bees hibernate in their cocoons during the fall and winter. Cleaning the cocoons and protecting them from rain and predators will give them the best chance of survival. If nesting boxes are not routinely cleaned in fall, pests and diseases can spread and harm your bees. 

Thankfully the task takes only a small amount of time and some simple equipment that most of us have on hand. The HCP has a group cleaning session that runs in October where you can bring in your nesting box and we supply the tools and instructions for cleaning them. Our October class is full for  2022, but we do have an online presentation for you below if you did not manage to register. 

We will be adding several pollinator related classes and activities in Spring. If you would like to receive an email when classes are added, please sign up for the Pollinator Interest List HERE. If honey bees are more your thing, then we also have a Backyard Beekeeping class in the Spring. You can sign up to receive updates on that class by signing up for the interest list HERE.

Presentations by The Gardens at HCP