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Just wondering if anyone here has eperience with blue mason bees - I'm thinking about starting a hive of them to pollinate my indoor and outdoor plants, and know they're docile and harmless, but wondering if anyone has hands-on experience with them.
I have had Mason Bees outside (in their wooden nests) for about 4 years. They are lovely and fascinating. Contact Dr. Margriet Dogterom at bees@beediverse.com, or go to her website BeeDiverse.com. She has a video on Mason Bees (perfect for beginners), books, and all the supplies (including the bees)!
Also, do a Google search for mason bees. There are several reputable articles about building the wooden nests. I built 2; one for me and one for my neighbor. They are excellent pollinators due to little hairs all over their bodies and will only sting (the article says) if severely provoked.
Can mason bees live in TX? I would like to keep bees but don't know how to start. I have several kind including honey bees around in my yard but don't know much about the different types and which are suited to my new, very hot and dry TX climate. Do you have a pic of these bees?
I recommend that you contact your local ag extension service and ask if mason bees are local. The ag extension people like mason bees to improve pollination so they should be of more help than even someone 100 miles from you. If you just can't wait, Google "Mason bees in Texas" and see what it says.
BTW, I have only one or two more holes filed since the above picture. I clearly am no expert. It was just something an old coot could do to justify his expensive tools. Maybe my 4 or 6 filled holes will multiply into a bunch in a couple of years.
Try painting 'X's and "O"x and long lines in different colored paint on the front of your Mason Bee house. It will serve as a visual cue to the female as to which hole she is working in. Here in Virginia, my Mason bees finish laying eggs on May 19th (they emerged on March 19th and live for only two months). I also have beneficial wasps, leaf cutter bees and some other native bee use the holes later in the summer.
Plus, when the Mason bees are laying eggs, have a mud supply readily available for them. I make a sand/earth slurry in a big plastic bowl 8 feet away from the bee house (add water to it as needed). Be sure to use virgin soil, with no fertilizers or other additives. Be sure your bee house faces East so the sun will warm the bees up early in the day, hang the bee house under an overhang to protect it from the rain.
pbyrley, your bees may be having trouble getting out of the holes. My bee house comes apart like a tinker toy, I take the cocoons out in January and put them in the top of the bee house to emerge March 19th. You would not believe the gunk, resin and mud obstacles in the holes/passageways. I doubt mine would ever be able to struggle their way out unaided. All info, books and 'come-apart bee houses' in my first reply above.
