(Sound on for additional bee communication)
Did you ever see ants get interested in them?
No, i dont have ants near me, so they are safe
Uhhhhh… this is not dull at all. This is freaking awesome.
You should be bragging like a mofo on a community called “Extra cool shit” or something lol
But im dull but thank you :)
Im dull, why is it just a photo
Edit:
Please tell me more!
I tried setting up a small bee box for mason bees last year but received no visitors. Any advice? It’s a small premade kit from our local garden shop. It comes with tubes and a sheltered post I’ve added in the corner of the yard near some mud they could fill the tubes with
I am attempting to landscape my yard for pollinators. I’d like to build a hive for bumblebees as well someday
I think if its not well visited, there is no demand/customers. Are there other small holes/pipes anywhere near the site that they already use?
Maybe its because of the mass species extinction happening right now…
That’s sad :( I live in suburbia so I can’t really see everything in my neighbors yard or control how they use pesticides.
The yard closest to the bee box is filled with fruit trees and grape vines which I would think was cool if I was a bee.
The far yard is just boring grass likely drenched in roundup or something for dandelions
I would suggest let it hang, some guests arent visible at first like spiders.
Maybe they just didnt find it? I wish you good luck
Insect populations are down 90% since the 90s. Wordwide. That is multiple studies, it’s true. Frogs are fucked too. Something(s) are fundamentally wrong, and herbicides are a big part of that.
My frogs are fucked - thanks to a visiting heron. No spawn, no idea if the adults have survived. I’ve had the pond for about ten years, and the frogs found it almost immediately. The heron visits started last year.
Most of the Frog decline is due to herbicides and other endocrine disruptors though, as low as several parts per billion in the water can wipe out frog populations, rendering them hermaphroditic and sterile. That said, I have large swamps around me that are completely absent to frogs, and it is in the State and National forest, there should not be that level of pollution to wipe them out, I was thinking about netting some tadpoles and introducing them there from nearby. Frogs make a huge difference in controlling mosquitoes, the tadpoles eat mosquito larvae.
No issues with mosquitos here in Scotland, lol. I had maybe a dozen very healthy frogs in my pond, with great piles of spawn every spring and tadpoles galore. Then one morning last year I opened my curtains to see a heron standing in the pond. It’s been back again this month. I can’t really cover the pond, because the frogs need to come and go. Several herons live along a nearby estuary, and I guess this one happened to spot my pond one sunny day.
Consider getting a fake decoy heron, apparently they can be dissuaded from intruding on another’s turf!
Excellent suggestion!!! Thank you.
That tracks on the mosquitoes, mountainous areas drain too fast for them to proliferate like in the uppee midwest us here and our stagnant swamps.
I have known people with like goldfish and coy ponds in their Gardens that have had herons stop by and clean them out.
Maybe you could try a scarecrow or something.
Might wanna check with the rangers and park authority. It would be better to do that as a well researched conservation project, rather than just moving a bunch of tadpoles from one pond to another.
But it does sound like a noble effort, and kinda fun.
The Rangers do not care, and the neighbors are all gun toting Hicks many of which shoot and poison everything on purpose. If it is nearby it’s got to be a native or naturalized frog, I’m only talking about moving them like a mile or less. I would much prefer to be able to test the water to see what might be killing them but that’s just not in the cards here.
I’ve noticed a sharp decline in bee activity in my neighborhood in just the last few years. It’s very sad. :(
I have gotten a bit of a Resurgence on my property since I got it a number of years ago. I had a handful of Monarch butterflies last year, the previous year I had one. I’ve moved my lawn once in 5 years and raked zero. But it is like 95% Woods.
Make sure you are planting native species. Native bees don’t get what they need from the ‘pretty’ plants you buy at big box store
Yes, we are going for exclusively native plants (except the plants planted by the previous home owners)
Is there any mud nearby? If not, you can mix some up and leave it near the bee house for the mason bees to build with.
Also, plant early pollinators.
Maybe there’s not a good enough reason for them to be near it in the first place?
There are a bunch of flowering bushes I see bees frequently visit but I’m not sure on mason bees in particular
You can order mason bees online. Order some before spring next year. They’re adorable when they first emerge from their cocoons–so tiny.
I think I’ll do this! I’m not sure if there are any mason bees actually around here but plenty of other species
How deep is it? I bought a cheap pre-made one from a bargain shop before learning they need to be about 15cm deep to help them avoid predators, else it’s very unlikely anything will want to visit
It’s fairly deep. It has premade tubes that are pretty long and you can swap out each year but they got wet over winter so I’m a little glad nobody moved in this year at least
Are you killing your dandelions and other pollinators that we call weeds for stupid reasons?
We leave the dandelions for as long as possible without angering the neighbors who appreciate dandelions less
We would always get an HOA violation notice, then we’d have 30 days to do something, so I just waited 29 days then took a picture and sent it. Rinse and repeat as they can’t do anything if it’s not for the exact same violation. I hate HOAs so much and will abuse their stupid system as best as I am able.
Big beautiful bee hotel for the pollinators folks. We love our native pollinators!
Last year I had mystery bees coming and going from an unused compost bin. Took photos and showed them to an etymologist. He identified them as chocolate mining bees (no, no chocolate is being mined). I was pleased to see them hanging out in my garden. I keep a few corners of rough ground with piles of sticks etc to offer shelter for bumblers and others; it was funny to see these bees deciding the bin was better.
Which species use it?
They seem to be mason bees. I dont know if the translation is correct, in german its mauerbiene.
Yes that’s correct
Fleißige Mädels
Late visitor bonus: a mason bee. I love their little claws
such fuzz much wow
Needs the claws to pull off the handshake.
bees are nice. what kind uses the pinecone? I only have tubes in mine.
I think the pinecones are for other guests than bees, the bees use pipes/holes normally. Like spiders.
I did a little research and these hotels are not good for them for some reasons. (Wrong wood, prone to mold etc.) But since its hanging in a somewhat sheltering spot and the bees are eagerly doing their things so i ler them do.
I think for next year i build a better version.
Homemade? Any specific things you have to keep in mind or is it just about the spaces?
I bought it from amazon and hung it onto my balcony. They do everything by themselve, i just watch
How do you know if it’s in use (ignoring the one single bee I see in the picture)? The filled in tubes?
The sealed up tubes contain mason bee eggs and food, yes. Which will emerge in spring.
Very cool! Do they not build their own hives or is building something like this just a “courtesy” to the bees?
They are a species of solitary bees, living their whole lives alone (like the vast majority of insects). Not all types of bees live in eusocial hives.
Yes, the tubes and some bees flying around. tried to upload a vid with more bees flying but i guess its too big
I’m up to three bee houses now. I started with mason bees and leafcutter bees. Now those have both have self-sustaining populations (I originally bought bee cocoons) and some local species which I had not expected to make themselves home have showed up as well. All happily sharing the houses.
Hey, nice work. Are you aware that pinecones can house predatorial species feeding on bees? This is not a problem to the population but it might be an ethical predicament :D
Thanks, i know that these hotels are not optimal. But i have an eye on it and there are really alot of bees doing their things so i guess i just let nature do its thing.
I have heard that bee hotels can spread disease (can anyone verify?). Any thoughts/plans on cleaning or refreshing the rooms?
I know these hotels arent optimal but it works very well for now. They are tidying and refilling the tubes very well it seems.
I think if problems occur and i realize it ill go to action but not for now.
