Whilst providing homes is better than no homes we should not be using drilled holes or bamboo canes if you want to help the solitary bees maximise their next generation. Holes and bamboo will get infested with pollen mites, Houdini flies, mono wasps, and other pests as left empty in the spring and cannot be cleaned out. Wildlife and beekeeping organisations strongly recommend either nesting blocks that can be opened and cleaned out between uses or cardboard tubes that can be cheaply replaced to be housed in a standard nesting box that you get at any garden centre. See UA-cam videos by Crown Bees (I am in no way affiliated with them, they just have good explanations).
The trouble with these blocks is you can't "clean" them. Yours look like they are being used for the first time. So, you'll get lot's of bees next year. Unfortunately the pests will start to find them as well. The bees will keep using the holes year after year. And so will the pests. Since you can't clean them, you'll end up with more and more pests. That's why I started using the stackable nesting blocks. To my surprise I already had Houdini fly larvae in a few tubes, even after the first year. I'm going to try and retire all my wood blocks but bees sure do love them. It will take some work to get them all replaced. You're in luck with that big garden as they don't fly too far either. I have to get blooming flowers in to make sure the early risers have some pollen 'till my cherry tree starts blossoming.
Yes, that is a good possibility. The thing is that the Mason bees are everywhere and they fill up every hole they can find. So even if the pest develops, you still give the bees a chance to reproduce. I have the firewood stack and they live in the cracks anyway. Either way we end up helping each other. More homes for them and more fruits for me.
beautiful creatures!!!
Oh yes! I absolutely love watching them, especially when they are on the flowers 💐
Whilst providing homes is better than no homes we should not be using drilled holes or bamboo canes if you want to help the solitary bees maximise their next generation. Holes and bamboo will get infested with pollen mites, Houdini flies, mono wasps, and other pests as left empty in the spring and cannot be cleaned out. Wildlife and beekeeping organisations strongly recommend either nesting blocks that can be opened and cleaned out between uses or cardboard tubes that can be cheaply replaced to be housed in a standard nesting box that you get at any garden centre. See UA-cam videos by Crown Bees (I am in no way affiliated with them, they just have good explanations).
The trouble with these blocks is you can't "clean" them. Yours look like they are being used for the first time. So, you'll get lot's of bees next year. Unfortunately the pests will start to find them as well. The bees will keep using the holes year after year. And so will the pests. Since you can't clean them, you'll end up with more and more pests. That's why I started using the stackable nesting blocks. To my surprise I already had Houdini fly larvae in a few tubes, even after the first year. I'm going to try and retire all my wood blocks but bees sure do love them. It will take some work to get them all replaced.
You're in luck with that big garden as they don't fly too far either. I have to get blooming flowers in to make sure the early risers have some pollen 'till my cherry tree starts blossoming.
Yes, that is a good possibility. The thing is that the Mason bees are everywhere and they fill up every hole they can find. So even if the pest develops, you still give the bees a chance to reproduce. I have the firewood stack and they live in the cracks anyway. Either way we end up helping each other. More homes for them and more fruits for me.
Do you collect honey from them
No, they don't produce honey.
So when you burn your firewood, some of the mason bee larvae go up in smoke?
Hello 👋! No not really! I don't use the firewood