![]() She does not create holes or damage structures to make holes. The leafcutter bee is a cavity dwelling bee, so she lays her eggs in existing holes. They tend to hatch out of their cocoons in mid to late July, being cued to do so by heat and daylight hours. The leafcutter bee is a smaller bee than the mason bee but just as gentle and as hard working. The leafcutter bees are a useful friend to gardeners as they provide valuable and efficient pollination for plants such as your summer vegetable gardens. They are the first bee to hatch in the season usually in late March to early April. A female mason bee will collect a pollen ball (as a food source for the larva), lay an egg and seal the chamber with mud, usually laying six eggs to a chamber. The mason bee’s name comes from using mud to seal the egg chambers within a nesting hole. It’s estimated a single mason bee may visit approximately 2,000 blossoms a day. The Orchard Mason Bee is the common name of a native bee (Osmia lignaria ssp.) that pollinates our spring fruit and nut trees, flowers and vegetables. These bees do not produce honey What are Orchard Mason Bees? These gentle bees are amazing pollinators for spring fruit, nut trees, berries and blooming plants. Whether nicotinoids such as imidacloprid (the most widely used insecticide in the world) are the problem or not, the fewer insecticides being used, the better. ![]() We have all heard about neonicotinoids and the damage they are causing to our environment. The public is not only aware but also incredibly concerned over the decimation of our bee populations. Joe’s Mason and Leafcutter Bee Care Sheets They are simply driven by their need for pollen and nectar to support reproduction through the laying of eggs. These solitary bees do not make honey and you don’t need the protective gear used to handle traditional honey bees, because these bee species don’t sting. The good news is that these native bees are non-stinging, so they are perfect for gardens with children and pets. Joe’s bee houses are designed to serve as breeding space and sanctuaries for solitary orchard mason bees and leafcutter bees. The culprits would be our leafcutter bees who use the leaf pieces to seal off their nesting cavity. ![]() Woodland gardeners may have noticed perfect circles cut out of the leaves of, say, their native Redbud trees. He’s the first to admit “it’s been a labour of love” toiling away in his home workshop, where he’s built hundreds of the custom bee houses for gardeners and nature lovers interested in saving the native bees that prefer to live alone rather than the massive hives associated with honey bees. In fact, it took only about a week before bees found my WeeBeeHouse in our garden and began using filling it with offspring.Īfterall, these artisan, solitary bee houses that have taken up so much of his time since he retired in 2014 after 34 years as a tool and die maker at a Hamilton Ontario area manufacturing facility. There are even cleaning tools and detailed instructions supplied with the house to ensure success. Unlike most commercial products, these homes can be easily taken apart to be cleaned out and prepared for more bees year after year. The high quality, well-made wooden homes are built specifically with the bees’ well being in mind. WeeBeeHouse designs serve as breeding space and sanctuaries for solitary orchard mason bees and leafcutter bees. They’ve literally changed his life and there is nothing he wants to talk about more than his bees, unless of course, it’s his WeeBeeHouse designs. Solitary bees have a friend in Joe and his WeeBeeHouse designsĭon’t get Joe Prytula talking about bees, particularly those solitary ones.
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