I always leave sunchoke stocks on the ground over the winter. I have never thought it might be good for the bees. The stocks seem have bigger hole than the bees look for. Maybe the thinner stocks work
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We all have many pollinators. 5/16 inch is a good width and 6 inches deep is good for mason bees, but other diameters are good for others. I think I recall that we have 45 native bee species, but there are also wasps, birds, and other insects.
John S
PDX OR
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Makes me think the elderberry stems would work well. They are very spongy inside and could be poked out easily with something. I’ll try tomorrow and report back. I’ve also just been drilling holes in pruned off branches, I bring my bees indoors after they’re all done, so rot shouldn’t be an issue if you keep them off the ground. I do like to have a variety of sizes though because some of the females are very large and can’t make it into the smallest holes I provide.
Another place they like to nest is unused drip tubing…but I’m bummed that I discovered that one.
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Elderberry is supposed to work quite well. I wouldn’t bother with cleaning them out, though. Just let nature take care of it. I believe the bees can chew their way through the pith. If not, time will take care of it for them.
The point I’m trying to make by starting this thread is that providing suitable nesting sites for bees can and should be way lower effort than what a lot of people get up to. Just leave a lot of 10" long standing stalks in the garden when you do your spring cleanup. You’ll get a lot more nesting sites for a lot less work. And, since they’re spread apart, you have fewer issues with wasps, parasites, and diseases.
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