Enjoyed this very much. A very curious and friendly mason bee patrolling our deck got us hooked on the idea of keeping honey bees...3 summers ago... now look at us! Just curious, is it my imagination or do they chase away wasps and flies, too? ours seem to.
What size are the tubes and where do you get them? I thought I read somewhere that over the winter you put them in the refrigerator or freezer to help kill the mites that get on them?
X rated bee videos. Shame on you Omie. (just kidding :thumbsup Great video, thanks for posting. I didn't realize that mason bees do not mate in flight.
This is fascinating! If you put the used, empty tubes in the freezer, could they be re-used? Or is it just not worth the trouble? Do you move the box of nesting tubes to another location later, or do they live on your porch?
Beautiful video Omie. I saw on another site where to order the tubes and liners, or maybe parchment that could be used, but I've slept since then. I have blue orchard bees that are probably nesting in woodpecker holes in my elm tree. I'd like to set up a box like yours and hang it on that elm tree. Could you pm me where you get the supplies? Thank you, Gypsi
Why PM? There may be a few members who would like to know. Also, supplier recommendations are always welcome.
Still learning the rules of the forum. (the other reason for PM - I'm still learning to remember to subscribe to the post... doing that now.)
wow, very cool omie, thanks for sharing the videos and information, how long have you been doing this?
thank you omie, i have read some about mason bees, but what you are doing, and the tubes and nesting boxes are incredible!