How to Harvest, Wash & Store Your Mason Bee Cocoons Over Winter #savethebees #pollinators #bees

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Rent Mason Bees - Release Bees Rent Nesting Blocks

9 ай бұрын

When you set out a "bee hotel" to attract mason bees, you're also attracting invasive predators. In nature they find natural holes in their environment that are camouflaged and harder for predators to find, but a bee hotel has a sign hanging on it that says "VACANCY COME ON IN" Using the proper nesting material and fall maintenance is a key component to a healthy and thriving bee population. Pollen mites, houdini fly larvae, chalkbrood and mono wasps are invasive predators that will eventually overrun your bee hotel and cause your bee tenants to perish. If you are raising your own bees, it is important to harvest and clean them every fall. In this video we'll show you step by step how to do this. If you rent with our program, please send your blocks back to us in September and we will clean everything for you.
Dollar Store Shopping List:
• Mesh Grease Splatter Screen
• Bucket
• 1 or 2 plastic containers (1 for extracting cocoons/1 for clean water)
• Cat litter scoop
• 2 slotted spoons
• Measuring spoons
• Plastic food storage container
• Flashlight
• Roll of paper towels
• Pens with pointy lids
• Bleach
Videos we referenced in the video:
•"Life Cycle of a Mason Bee, Their Predators and How You Can Protect Them" kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bbB8pNiAv8rYp4k.htmlsi=OMaHIZieq5c9sd-G
•"Mason Bee Fall Harvest" How we clean 3 million mason bee cocoons kzfaq.info/get/bejne/reB0ishyqc6znqM.htmlsi=OxgCXdzgmdJBoN6z
•"Identify What is Inside Your Nesting Block During a Mason Bee Harvest" kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sLKXY8WKvc3ZXYk.htmlsi=d5v-ijS8u8V6Vr_T
•"How to Transition Old Nesting Material to Healthy Nesting Material and Rescue Your Baby Bees Inside" kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hqx-eNF7vKmRiXU.htmlsi=pc00mxDhr-73A-g_
Solitary bees are gaining popularity with backyard gardeners because of how easy they are to care for because they don’t sting and are incredible pollinators. Our program makes it easy to become a solitary bee host. Gardeners purchase a bee kit that comes with shelter house, nesting block and bees. You release solitary bees into your yard and rent our nesting blocks for your bees. When you release the bees into your yard they will lay babies in your natural habitat and your nesting block. Harvesting and cleaning them after the season is a critical step when hosting solitary bees to remove harmful predators. When you rent from us we take care of the maintenance and cleaning for you. You keep the black house and return the nesting blocks back to us in September. The following year, you will just need to reorder refills of a new clean block and clean mason bees.
Mason bees emerge in early spring when temperatures are 50+ degrees and only live 6-8 weeks. Leafcutter bees emerge when temperatures are 75+ degrees.
If you’re interested in both mason (Spring) and leafcutter (Summer) pollinators, please watch our Pollinator Kit Video explaining how to set them up.
How to set up Pollinator Kit - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ec94h9p8mpi7mmg.htmlsi=iadjum6IpjME-4SP

Пікірлер: 39

@juliemaki6342 Ай бұрын

Really great information.

@denisemiller8474 13 күн бұрын

I use also a cedar block drill holes the size of my straw’s and insert them in the holes when it’s time for them too hatch.

@Jhinge7385 Ай бұрын

Thank you!very interesting learned a lot.a lot of work like honey bees.

@juliemaki6342 Ай бұрын

I use a dental took to pull out the white tube from the cardboard sleeve so that I can slide a new, clean white tube in.

@denisemiller8474 13 күн бұрын

Another thing is Mason bees find every hole to lay eggs in each year my pond vacuum was covered in nests they also find holes in nature that don’t get cleaned so it looks like you are killing off the year of offspring doing this. I’ve had my system for twenty years until I moved.

@CamilleH53 3 ай бұрын

GREAT info . . . lots to remember. Thanks for sharing.

@markfaz8689 3 ай бұрын

Many thanks for the video/advice You have shown me lots more information here that I have picked up from other videos on KZfaq 👍 Blessings from Manchester England 🐝🐝

@RentMasonBees 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for finding us to learn more about how to care for solitary bees. Happy Pollinating!!

@bobmariano3731 5 ай бұрын

👍⚾️well done & very informative. Thx you !😊🐝

@gramermanush1279 9 ай бұрын

smart works

@Wholestain 5 ай бұрын

I only started with these block type "hotels" after seeing them on here. They are crazy expensive here in Europe so I made a few myself. They are so much better now I'm somewhat wiser on the several pests. I'm going to slowly change all my bamboo hotels. Thanks for the informative video!

@RentMasonBees 5 ай бұрын

Your bees and habitat will be so much healthier. Thank you for learning from our videos and making a change. Bee love!!!

@wildlycraftedwoman282 5 ай бұрын

This was SO helpful!!! Thank you!!

@RentMasonBees 5 ай бұрын

Thank you. I"m glad you enjoyed it and learned something. Please check out our other educational videos that will guide you with solitary bee hosting.

@denisemiller8474 13 күн бұрын

I use vinegar my house water has chlorine in it so adding more bleach can be too much.

@bobmargulis8912 9 ай бұрын

Do you need a flame? Have you ever tried using a heat gun on high to sterilize the trays?

@richardr5878 Ай бұрын

Does water temp mater? It’s fairly cold November, should water be somewhat cool to eliminate thermal cycle?

@RentMasonBees Ай бұрын

You don’t want warm water just your basic cold tap water. You also want to harvest outside in the fall on a cool day. Remember they’ll start to emerge when temps are 50+.

@lindaliriel 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video! Is it possible to use vinegar, alcohol or something more eco-friendly than bleach?

@RentMasonBees 3 ай бұрын

We haven't tried other solutions, but they may work. We just know the bleach eliminates the pollen mites and chalkbrood, so that is the key.

@AmazingGrace945 3 ай бұрын

How do they ever survive in the wild without people washing and cleaning the bees and hives?

@RentMasonBees 3 ай бұрын

In the wild their nesting sites are camouflaged and harder for Houdini fly and mono wasps to find. When you set out a bee hotel it provides easy access to predators which is why it’s important to harvest and clean every year.

@jodiejodiejodie Ай бұрын

@@RentMasonBees It seems like creating and enhancing nesting habitats for solitary bees would be a better solution than selling these products that have a million ways to harm the native populations if you don't do everything correctly.

@jodiejodiejodie Ай бұрын

@@RentMasonBees If you read the literature on this, most bee biologists and conservationists agree that bee hotels are inaffective as a conservation tool and likely commit more harm than good. Even in this video, so many of the larva that were laid were unviable due to the bee hotel welcoming pests that otherwise wouldn't have been able to access them as easily if they were nesting in the natural environment. That has a negative effect on the species overall reproductive outcome and success for the season.

@RentMasonBees Ай бұрын

@@jodiejodiejodie many people host mason bees for increased pollination in their yards and to increase bee populations that are on the decline due to over development and chemicals being used in yards. If bee hotels are managed properly 1) clean nesting material put out every spring 2) removed end of spring to protect from predators 3) clean in the fall. Then they can actually help solitary bee populations. The education is in the millions of bee hotels that are sold all over the world that have no instructions on how to properly care for their bees. Everyone wants to help bees by providing a bee hotel for them, but you're right..if not properly maintained it will turn into a predator habitat and cause more harm than good.

@sheilacopleyfarley985 4 ай бұрын

What is a list of proper nesting material?

@RentMasonBees 4 ай бұрын

Steps for raising your own mason bees: 1. Place clean nesting material out in spring. Use nesting material that can easily be opened: stacking trays or cardboard tubes you can unravel 2. Provide clean mud source and make sure to not use slug bait or chemicals that can contaminate soil/mud 3. Gently remove nesting material at the end of spring and store in cool garage or shed. Mason bees only live 6-8 weeks and then they are done. Protect developing larvae from summer predators. How to store over summer video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iMt6oMmfrrm4ioU.htmlsi=un4m7LkJcPbjAm0x 4. In the fall, once they’ve spun their silk cocoons, open all the nesting material and remove cocoons from predators and clean. Then store in hibernation in fridge over winter. How to clean & store video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b8Vhis92qbrdmJ8.htmlsi=zyFd7QYYk8lxtDV

@glaucouswingedgull 3 ай бұрын

Looked like a table spoon, not a teaspoon?

@SPipoly61 Ай бұрын

Birds are attacking my hotels, is it too soon to save my cocoons for next spring??

@RentMasonBees Ай бұрын

Mason bees should be done soon. If you aren’t seeing anymore activity you can carefully remove them and store over summer. Here’s a video on preventing birds. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eplydLOTus6dmqM.htmlsi=U5IS3ZZU8Ubos_p7

@daleford5531 3 ай бұрын

What time of year are you doing this? So the cocoons are hatched in spring..cleaning the tubes in October?

@RentMasonBees 3 ай бұрын

Harvest in the fall. We do all of ours in October.

@pozzee2809 2 ай бұрын

@@RentMasonBeescan I hang filled tubes in netting outdoors until the fall?

@RentMasonBees 2 ай бұрын

@@pozzee2809 yes you can protect them with a fine mesh netting so that mono wasps or birds can't get to them.

@user-ej8iq9jz1g 4 ай бұрын

Not sure if anyone else is having an issue, but I'm not getting any sound with this video.

@lindaliriel 3 ай бұрын

I can hear the audio

@denisemiller8474 13 күн бұрын

Aren’t you killing new bee’s when you do this each year.. I find putting new nests out each year and removing the old nest after they hatch works better without killing the bee.