My mason bees are hatching

[Corbeehives]

Just a heads up for everyone who rears solitary bees. My mason bees have started hatching out. I checked the tubs in the garage and there were 7 already out and active. I've put the tubs outside now in a box and put the hives back up to start again for this year. Good luck for the new season.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blimey. Bit of a cold few weeks to come

 

[Boston Bees]

Just a heads up for everyone who rears solitary bees. My mason bees have started hatching out. I checked the tubs in the garage and there were 7 already out and active. I've put the tubs outside now in a box and put the hives back up to start again for this year. Good luck for the new season.

But surely if you keep them inside (even a garage) they'll get a false impression of the season, and hatch dangerously early, then struggle with the temperatures?

 

[Erichalfbee]

But surely if you keep them inside (even a garage) they'll get a false impression of the season, and hatch dangerously early, then struggle with the temperatures?

I think so. I keep mine outside. Just protected from woodpeckers.

 

[hemo]

All my be houses are outside so the temps determine when the new bees emerge also the same with the old rawl plug holes use don the s/e corner at my front door.

Just a heads up for everyone who rears solitary bees. My mason bees have started hatching out. I checked the tubs in the garage and there were 7 already out and active. I've put the tubs outside now in a box and put the hives back up to start again for this year. Good luck for the new season.

Surely now they are likely to struggle right now, the clocks haven't gone forward and the timing is too early for their natural cycle. You can't force dictate their nature cycle as the female will be out then the males follow in due course.

 

[JamezF]

Surely now they are likely to struggle right now, the clocks haven't gone forward

To be fair, I've never seen a Mason Bee with a watch.

James

 

[Corbeehives]

Well the general advice is to keep them in a shed or unheated garage. The garage is unheated and the tubs were next to an outside wall. The tubs are now outside and the houses are back up. There is lots of plants out in bloom for them they just need to find the houses to keep warm at night. I was suprised to see them hatching this early but the last few days have been very warm. My bees have been busy bringing in pollen, most of my hive were totally out of fondant so thats been topped up. Im going out to check the masons now hoprfully being outside might delay them hatching for a bit longer.

 

[hemo]

To be fair, I've never seen a Mason Bee with a watch.

James

No but the a have like a lot of nature an internal sense of when it s time to emerge and my bee houses and mortar hole bees are still plugged up.

 

[JamezF]

No but the a have like a lot of nature an internal sense of when it s time to emerge and my bee houses and mortar hole bees are still plugged up.

Yes, I do realise what you were getting at. It just struck me as amusing to use a notion that has no meaning to anything other than humans when discussing the timing of an animal-related event

James

 

[Corbeehives]

Lot more have been hatching out over the last few days and they're already using the houses on the garage wall. Fingers crossed the weather stays nice, lovely day in the midlands today, tshirt weather.

 

[hemo]

My mortar holes bees have not yet emerged though some 92 or 93% of the bee house ones in the garden have.

 

[oliver90owner]

Mason bees do not hatch in the spring. Like bees from pupation, they emerge. There will be more than one imago exiting the individual tubes, presumably?

I might expect mason bees would prefer to emerge from a north facing position, to avoid early development (much like queen bumbles hibernating in north facing banks,etc).

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mason bees do not hatch in the spring. Like bees from pupation, they emerge. There will be more than one imago exiting the individual tubes, presumably?

Yes. Females lay female eggs first then the males in the same tube. The males feed themselves up and mob the entrances for the females yet to emerge.
Glad to see you back here RAB.

 

[hemo]

The mason bees on my house use the E/SE corner at the front of the house where it receives the early sun, all cases of so called swarming I have been to look at all occur where the nesting sites are on a E/SE aspect wall.

 

[djdom]

Tylko uwaga dla wszystkich, którzy hodują pszczoły samotnice. Moje pszczoły murarki zaczęły się wykluwać. Sprawdziłem wanny w garażu i było już 7 aktywnych. Wstawiłem teraz pojemniki na zewnątrz do pudełka i ustawiłem ule z powrotem, aby zacząć od nowa w tym roku. Powodzenia w nowym sezonie.

Cześć. W tym roku zaczynamy naszą przygodę z pszczołami murarkami.. Mamy wszystko, ale na kokony już za późno. Poszukuję osoby, która może mieć jeszcze kilka sztuk. Pozdrowienia

 

[Erichalfbee]

Translation
Hi. This year we are starting our adventure with red mason bees. We have everything, but it's too late for cocoons. I'm looking for someone who may have a few more. Regards

 

[Vanterrier]

I had no idea anyone was "keeping" these fascinating creatures. I have some in various rawl holes in a South facing sandstone wall.
What can I do to help them or increase their numbers?
What is involved in "keeping" them?
See pictures I posted elsewhere on these forums below.
K

 

[Erichalfbee]

What can I do to help them or increase their numbers?

Drill more holes.

 

[Vanterrier]

Drill more holes.

I thought that would be a suggestion, and I think I could drill a few without getting told off, but what about some kind of "hotel" ? Say a brick or block of wood? What do you reckon?
K

 

[E&MBees]

I think you can get bricks that are pre drilled with the right diameter holes. I’m sure I read somewhere that a house builder had incorporated the bricks in a new house build. Not sure what success they had though.