I was very successful with mason bees for many years. Then the mice found them.
I usually clean mine in October before winter, then store them in my garage in small cardboard boxes with some vent holes. Keep a wet napkin inside for humidity. Here mine are already out pollinating. I saw my first ones last week. Sunny days they are pretty active.
Dennis
Kent, wa
This year,I was a little late to harvest them.It was about a week ago.When opening the wood block,some started to fly out,so it was put back together.Bees in the ones made from corn were still sleeping.
2 Likes
Glad I find this tread, I just received my package with cocoons yesterday, right now they are in the fridge. I would put them out today but is raining and it will continue raining all day besides the wind gusts are really bad.
1 Like
Reading this, it sounds like itās useful but a bit of work? Is the harvesting of cocoons etc mostly needed in the colder areas? Wondering if folks in SoCal Zone 10 are doing this and if so, if you just let the bees be (sorry, couldnāt help it :)) once you release them and make homes for them.
Could I buy some, create homes for them in the shade, maybe a handful of 4-6 hole homes instead of larger ones if thatās better, and then once I āseedā them in, just let them stay there over the winter as well?
Wondering if itās worth the extra work. I feel like Iām constantly trying to do SO many garden related projects that this wouldnāt make the cut for me given I do see a bunch of bees and other pollinators already in the yard.
I think part of the problem is making those high-density ābee condosā in the first place, so that when bee pests (pollen mites) or pathogens (fungal) or predators (birds/rodents) find your bee house, itās easy to lose all or most of them at once. In nature they are more scattered among dead reeds and stuff so thereās a better chance that many will make it even if some get sick or eaten.
But if you just have scattered habitat for mason bees in your yard and release some each year to help boost the population, you can probably get away with not harvesting, cleaning, and storing the cocoons.
At least thatās how I interpret everything Iāve read about those practices, Iām no expert! This is my first year trying to do this.
2 Likes
Yes,one of the main reasons for harvesting and cleaning the cocoons,is to help remove mites.
2 Likes
Makes sense! I think Iāll put on my list of things to try. I suspect my kids will also get into it 
so that will be fun.
That makes a lot of sense. So in theory, if I have like 4 holes together but then like 6-10 of those scattered across the yard, that might do it.
Ok. Will post here if/when I get to this.
Thanks all!
50 released, so far, 2024 most have departed the cocoons, it looks like.
Environmental support practiced.
1500 Lady bugs released yesterday.
Ladybug will eat other insects, they advertise.
Last week, I released and re-buried 500 red-wiggler worms.
Environmental support not cheap.
3 Likes
Donāt wait too long to clean your mason bees.
I say that because I waited too many weeks while small grubs of some type of unknown beetle consumed a good percentage of my cocoons. So I regret not cleaning them around end of August when the grubs may not have made so much progress. A couple of pics tell the story.
Bottom line do it earlier
Dennis
Kent wa
A good example
Pic of one of the beetles before I killed him
A really bad example of what not to allow:
