Menards sale on mason bee hives

[LEWI B]

How would those work if someone has a high population of dirt daubers?(sp)

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I also watched a really good show on PBS or NatGeo about this guy in the UK that filmed some mason bees in his back yard garden all summer.

I saw the same show. Pretty cool how that guy "knew" certain mason bees in his logs, and followed that one in particular until he didn't see it anymore. He gave it a name, I believe.

I like your bee houses. Are the horizontal slots for bumble bees?? I've seen specific plans to make shelters for bumble bees also. What are those tubes made of ??

I built 3 mason bee houses with a design I saw online. It allows fairly easy rear access to pull the paper tubes out each fall to clean the cocoons and store them over the winter. Next spring, you put in new, clean paper tubes, close up the back, and place your cocoons under the little "roof" so they find the holes when they hatch. Those 3 houses are for use at camp. But I'll do some drilling in old logs too. We have an ample supply of those!! Local mason bees found our firewood piles behind our home too, which have a roof over them. Every spring they hatch out and keep coming back to lay eggs. My wife loves them. No stinging to worry about since they're not aggressive defending a hive like honey bees do. They crawl on us frequently, and they seem to like landing on my camo baseball hat. They're in our home crab apple trees constantly.

 

[b116757]

For carpenter bee control I take a block of ERC drill a 3/4” hole in the middle of the bottom of the block not all the way thru. Then I drill two 1/2” holes at 45 degree angle into 3/4” hole attach a glass jar to the bottom 3/4” hole and hang in a sunny place you have seen carpenter bees. Problem solved.

 

[b116757]

They say dirt daubers like sweet nectar so a 2 liter bottle with the top cut off turned over and reinserted into bottle and maybe duck taped into place. Partly fill with simple syrup may work well idk I haven’t gone to war with the mud daubers.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

For carpenter bee control I take a block of ERC drill a 3/4” hole in the middle of the bottom of the block not all the way thru. Then I drill two 1/2” holes at 45 degree angle into 3/4” hole attach a glass jar to the bottom 3/4” hole and hang in a sunny place you have seen carpenter bees. Problem solved.

Diagram??

 

[b116757]

Diagram??

How to Build a Carpenter Bee Trap

Here are instructions for a simple, but effective carpenter bee trap. Use them to protect your home.

www.myfrugalhome.com

 

[b116757]

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thank-you, B116757 !! My neighbor and I have them buzzing around all summer. His firewood shelter looks like Swiss cheese with holes. I'll send this link to him too.

Thanks again!!

 

[b116757]

The dead bees must give off a pheromone the others bees love so I always leave a few dead bees in the jar when I empty it.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We'll try 'em !!