On 22/04/2014 20:52, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 20/04/2014 20:20, alan wrote:
My "colony" of solitary mason bees have emerged over the part few weeks.
http://www.admac.myzen.co.uk/bee/
http://www.admac.myzen.co.uk/bee2/

Full instructions please.

They're currently living in holes they've drilled in a disused chimney.
I don't want this to continue - enough holes might matter.

Andy

Different bees if they are drilling holes

Mine are mason bees - they use mud to make compartments in reeds or
holes drilled by OTHER insects. Even though they can sting they are
very docile. They are solitary bees - no queen, no swarms, no honey etc.

In a tube they make a compartment from mud, lay an egg, pack the
compartment with pollen then seal it with more mud. Each of my tubes has
5 or 6 such compartments. The bees develop June to March using the
pollen as food and then emerge this time of year. The end compartment is
usually the male which emerges first and then hangs around for some
reason until the females emerge.

These bees are harmless and probably responsible for pollinating more
plants than honey bees/bumble bees etc. They emerge just as my cherry
tree flowers and I usually get a good crop.

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