[FONT=tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Mason Bee ~ Orchard Bee [/FONT]
Updated: 2010-03-27, 7:33 pm
It amazes what great pollenators the Mason Bee is, all a person ever hears about is the Honey Bee but it turns out the Mason Bee is hard at work for such a short time pollenating orchards/fruit trees and then gone before mid summer is here. In an effort to add more to our population we built two Mason Bee houses and mounted them on the barn front. At a local backyard bird store there were the straws with liners and vials of cacoons. A quick trip to the hardware store yielded the PVC pipe and it took only about 15 mins to cut and mount the houses.
Updated: 2010-03-27, 7:33 pm
It amazes what great pollenators the Mason Bee is, all a person ever hears about is the Honey Bee but it turns out the Mason Bee is hard at work for such a short time pollenating orchards/fruit trees and then gone before mid summer is here. In an effort to add more to our population we built two Mason Bee houses and mounted them on the barn front. At a local backyard bird store there were the straws with liners and vials of cacoons. A quick trip to the hardware store yielded the PVC pipe and it took only about 15 mins to cut and mount the houses.
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Along with the 5 apple trees and one Asian pear we planted two types of Peris shrubs that bloom favorite flowers that provide necter for the Mason Bee to mix with the pollen and make the needed bee bread.
3/27/2010 ~ A nice sunny day in the low 60's and the bees are out! Check out they little beehinds (pun) in the tubes. The rain last night and this morning had me wondering how the tubes would work an so far so good. If you look closely you can see they have been in other tubes as well. Most are bees working the established holes in the posts of the barn front that I think they have used for years. Still, happy to see the new houses getting some activity. Only one apple is in fule blossom. the other 5 are still in small green bud stage. Nothing on the Asian Pear yet.
3/27/2010 ~ A nice sunny day in the low 60's and the bees are out! Check out they little beehinds (pun) in the tubes. The rain last night and this morning had me wondering how the tubes would work an so far so good. If you look closely you can see they have been in other tubes as well. Most are bees working the established holes in the posts of the barn front that I think they have used for years. Still, happy to see the new houses getting some activity. Only one apple is in fule blossom. the other 5 are still in small green bud stage. Nothing on the Asian Pear yet.
