Mason Bees at the Gardens at HCP

Hi Folks, here's an update on the mason bees.

As you know, mason bees are available for sale in the Gift Shop - here's some information about mason bees at HCP.

Mason bees are being released as they hatch from their cocoons, now that the weather is warmer (above 10 degrees daytime temp) and there are flowers blooming in the garden, with fruit tree blossoms on the way soon.

Orchard Mason Bees are solitary bees - they don't have hives, they don't swarm, and they don't make honey, they just go about their business as superb pollinators. They also don't sting (unless you try to squish them on purpose - the females could sting if they had to).

The males emerge first from their cocoons, and after a few days, the females will emerge. The males will mate with the females and "buzz off" - then the females will find a nesting "tube" either in a bee condo, between cedar shingles, or in a natural reed - and she'll get to work, pollinating and laying eggs.

To do this, mom-bee collects a ball of pollen and puts as far back in the tube as she can. Then she will lay a single egg on the pollen-ball food-source, and seal up the "cell" with mud. They will do this several times depending on the length of the tube - a typical 6" tube might contain 5-7 eggs/cells, divided by "masonry" walls made of clay-rich soil. Interestingly, the female can choose the sex of the egg - so the 4-6 eggs at the back are always female, while the 2 at the front are male.

Over the summer, the eggs will mature and the larvae will create a papery, oblong cocoon in which to continue their lifecycle en-route to becoming an adult mason bee.

We "harvested" about half of the Orchard Mason Bee cocoons in October from their nesting boxes in the gardens, cleaned/rinsed  the cocoons to get rid of any parasites, and stored them over the winter in the fridge in a box with some paper towel and a dish water (so they don't dehydrate - fridge air is very dry). You can also store them in an unheated shed or garage - just make sure they are protected from predators like mice, rats, and birds (in a tin with some air holes punched in the lid is great)

We left some of the cocoons to overwinter in their nesting boxes outdoors, and they'll hatch when they are good and ready! While there is a greater chance that parasites and other pests (like woodpeckers) will get to the cocoons if they are not harvested and cleaned in the fall, remember that the bees don't rely on humans  - they can find a place to nest and overwinter on their own.

When the temperature outside is warm enough in Spring (and not too wet or windy) - the cocoons can go outside in a box with a small hole, and the bees will wake up from their winter slumber over a number of days.They will use their mouthparts to chew a round hole in the cocoon, pull themselves out, and after a minute's rest, they are good to go and will fly away.

We have several mason bee nest boxes out in the gardens. These accommodations are sometimes shared with mud-dauber wasps and other types of solitary bees, some of which use other nesting materials like leaves (Leaf cutter bees) or "wool" from fuzzy plants (wool carder bees). You might find several types of bee/wasp in your nesting box in the fall.

Having a mason bee house is great if you are interested in following the fascinating  lifecycle of the bees and doing a little annual maintenance. You can buy a stylish house-shaped one made of stacking wood blocks at the garden centre, or make one for $0 with a pop bottle and homemade newspaper tubes (see youtube). Both work fine.

OR, you can just open your box of bees  in the sun on a warm day, and enjoy watching the bees hatch. They will go where there are nectar-rich flowers they like (which may be your neighbour's yard.)

Happy to answer any questions 🙂

You can contact me at [email protected].

Janet @ HCP community ed.