Mason bee introduction

I bought them to pollinate my asian plums and pluots but most have been blooming before they even emerges. So far only one cocoon is open out of my 280 cocoons. I still have some cherries, european plum, apple, and persimmons that hasn’t bloom yet.

Our weather is also different this year it is abnormally rainy and temps is low 30’s-to low 50’s F. I am really grateful for the rain but it is affecting the flowers.

I also read that mason bees forage even when it is raining compare to honeybees which are inactive.

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True: mason & bumble more hardy when foraging than golden (Italian) honeybees. Some people say those from Russia will venture out of the hive in cooler weather than the Italian strain. Someday maybe I’ll see for myself.

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Good to know. Hopefully they scan still pollinate my fruit trees.

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I just made drill holes on wood like disc4tw and they all seem filled, do I need to do anything? it does not get too cold here 32 degrees Fahrenheit was the lowest temperature.

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Oh you’re from central valley. Are you also zone 9a? That is encouraging if we are the same zone.

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I’m in the central valley but I think I’m in zone 9b. I think 9A gets down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest it gets here is 28-30 F. I live in Modesto.

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Ah ok. It is still pretty close. We’ll see what happens. I hope I can fill some reeds. What month where they active for you?

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I did not see them. I just made the holes in summer and by winter they were filled. I’m not sure its even mason bees, it could be wasps or something else :flushed:. I don’t even know when they hatch.

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Well i hope it is mason bees. If they are in their reeds it is encouraged that you open them and clean with 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide per 1l of water for 15 mins to kill fungal/bacteria stuff. Not sure how to harvest if they are in woodblocks that you made.

If you place them during summer it could be leaf cutter bees and not mason bees. Mason bees are only active during spring after that it could be other types of bees(not honey bee). It could also bee california mason bees.

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I would say releasing 280 mason bees is a success when it comes to pollination. I’ve been seeing them regularly pollinating my later blooming fruit trees. No cocoons yet but if not I just hope they can lay their eggs somewhere and will start a mason bee population in the area. We had an unusually cold/ extreme rain in March that could have affected their wake up times.

I’m planning to release again 400 Mason bee next year.

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Lots of work. Good luck. I am releasing some today. Zone 8, PNW

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Thank you. Lots of work but worth it. I think my next problem now is fruit thinning.

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Anybody know if Mason bees (or other native bees) will use perennial stems with solid pith?

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Mason bees need a hollow tube for laying eggs. I’m not aware of any bees that will use a stem with solid pith. Himalayan/Japanese Knotweed works really well for mason bees.

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Just got a shipment yesterday and only 1 bee hatched as it was the only viable looking cocoon. Anyone else had this issue? It’s my second time ordering bees this year crownbees, last year masonbees, with similar results. I think 2/20 hatched last year.

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Do you have an alternative you’d suggest then? Maybe smaller blocks with 2-4 holes? I haven’t done anything with Mason bees before so am trying to see what’s the best way to start. I’m in Zone 10 if that helps.

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Don’t they sometimes take up to a month to emerge? If you got the shipment yesterday then seems like you should wait a few weeks before deciding what the hatching rate is? The pamphlet in the shipment says:

Bees may take up to 4 weeks to emerge. Do not expose cocoons to direct sunlight.

I got my shipment from crownbees this week and 3 had already hatched in transit, but the other 17 looked fine to me, I scattered them among the reeds and bamboo segments I had prepared as nesting materials in the shade of an avocado tree in the greenhouse.

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I hope you’re right but I didn’t take a photo originally but the one that hatched was much larger, and it’s plenty warm but I did like you and scattered them in my bee house

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Did you place this hidden or in front of the sun? It was my main mistake because they cook alive. The tree house you should be putting them should get am sun and by 12pm should be protected by shade.

My mason bees currently have filled up 30 reeds. I released them back in February. I buy bulk at masonbeesforsale.

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No I had them in shade, my bee house orients the same as you described. I put the cocoons in there and we will see if they ever hatch. I ordered two shipments so another 20 are coming next week. Would just like to get them established here. I get plenty of bumblebees so I don’t need them but would just be nice

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