Tag: pollination

Washing Mason Bee Cocoons

Please Note: although i recommend washing in this video, I am not so sure that it is a good idea, as the year in which I did it, I had very poor hatching.. now I just do a thorough brushing in a sand bath and I have no problems with mites.    update 2024:  I have updated this 2016. post to move it closer to the other mason bee information this year I washed the cocoons and made sure I dried them thoroughly afterwards to prevent mould. 

After removing the cocoons from their tubes, it is important to give them a good wash to get rid of mites.  I do not use a bleach solution as some do, as I don’t think it is a very natural product and incorrect concentrations could have harmful effects.. I have no problem controlling the mite population either. .. I use three changes of lukewarm water in a large container. Then scoop them out by hand and dry on paper towels before putting in a plastic peanut butter jar in the fridge to hibernate until bloom time.

 

Mason Bees Pollination for Blueberries, Apples and Cherries

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

Or rather –What’s Blooming this week? (April 15)

Freshly emerged mason bee
Freshly emerged mason bee

I have been releasing more Mason Bees this week from refrigerator storage so that they are available to fertilize the fruit trees below that are just now coming into bloom.

 

Preparing Mason Bee tubes from Phragmites reeds.

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

In the past two weeks I have been cutting more Phragmites (reed grass) tubes for the mason bee homes.  Its important to get them before the new shoots emerge as they are easily trampled or cut off while you are cutting the stems. About one in 50 stems are of suitable diameter, so it does take some time to get them.  This population is one of the few left in BC.  One theory is that cattle grazing in the early years destroyed most of the native populations along the coastal estuaries.This population may have been spared because of the poisonous “arrow grass”– Triglochin sp. that is common in this marsh, so it was fenced from the earliest times on.

This phragmites is the native variety. In Eastern Canada however, there are populations of the introduced variety that are a serious invasive species.

The fawn lilies , Erythronium sp. are in bloom now so they can benefit from the pollination by the mason bees also.
The fawn lilies , Erythronium sp. are in bloom now so they can benefit from the pollination by the mason bees also.

I have a few of these tubes available for pickup in Metchosin. See this page re purchase:http://www.gfletcher.ca/?p=1

Peaches blooming in Metchosin so its Time for First Mason Bee Release

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

Mason bees for sale at $6.00 per dozen:

peachblossom
Peaches in bloom, March, 2015
nectarine_blossom
Nectarine blossoms, March, 2015

I have put out my first set of Mason Bees from the refrigerator as the peaches and nectarines are in bloom. There are also a few honey bees working the flowers, but once the Mason bees are active, they are much more efficient at pollinating than honey bees.

I have produced away more of these cocoons than I need for my garden and orchard so see this page for information on purchasing mason bees: http://www.gfletcher.ca/?p=1

I am now selling mason bee cocoons $6.00 per dozen which you can  order and then pick up from my farm in Metchosin British Columbia.
e-mail garryf use the at sign gmail dot com, or use the e-mail form on the page linked above.

See other posts on this website on mason bees

Mason Bees (Blue orchard Bees) for sale in Metchosin, BC,

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information
2015-03-07 cocoons

I am now selling mason bee cocoons which you can  order and then pick up from my farm in Metchosin British Columbia. 

mason_bee_houseI raise my blue orchard bees in boxes like this, similar to a birdhouse without a front. The mud-filled tubes are complete, and they are still working on the open ones. The small compartment at the bottom, with a lid and hole in it,  is for depositing a handful of cocoons into when I remove them from the refrigerator.  This is done after their winter hibernation when I need pollinators for various fruit trees.

A section of 4 inch drain pipe can be used.A section of 4 inch drain pipe can be used as a mason bee house also.  A 5 cm.  overhanging lip at the top keeps the water out. I also have a limited number of Phragmites reed tubes for mason bee homes . They average 6 inches in length and can be packed horizontally in any container as long as it is waterproof.  Limited amount available at $5.00 per dozen.

 

masonbee
Female Mason Bee, ( Blue Orchard Bee) raised in and native to Metchosin BC.

See other postings here on Mason Bees :

Contact: garryf use the: “at sign” gmail dot com

Harvesting Mason Bees —

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

The Mason bee tubes are generally filled and a mud cap can be seen plugging the hole of the tube by the end of April-May and no further activity will be seen. It is best to not disturb the tubes for several weeks as the eggs are delicately placed on the stored food materials in each capsule and they take several weeks to get firmly implanted.

The first version of the mason bee house. Only one problem, where do you place the cocoons when they are ready to be released. Next years version soved that one.
The first version of the mason bee house. Only one problem, where do you place the cocoons when they are ready to be released. Next years version soved that one.

Any time after October you can open the tubes and clean the cocoons of parasites for storage over winter in a refrigerator or a cool  place outside protected from mice and birds. Some tubes may appear empty. Use a wire or a small round file to check.

Unused tubes may be used again but only if they are clean and parasite free.

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Split the tubes open in the winter and remove the cocoons,clean and store in a refrigerator until March.
Split the tubes open in the winter and remove the cocoons,clean and store in a refrigerator until March.

 

These are pictures of unsuccessful egg laying. The orange mixture of pollen and nectar was pu in the compartments but these ones must have missed getting a viable egg.
This is a picture of unsuccessful egg laying. The orange mixture of pollen and nectar was put in the compartments but these ones must have missed getting a viable egg.

 

A light brush can be used to roll them around., and they can be swirled around in sand. .Their cocoons are very durable.Some people even go so far as to wash them.
A light brush can be used to roll them around., and they can be swirled around in sand. .Their cocoons are very durable.Some people even go so far as to wash them.
And when you are finished, compost the last year's tubes.
And when you are finished, compost the last year’s tubes.