วีดีโอ

29:27 There's clearly more amber cocoons right as you say everything else is good. I'm confused why those got the green light.

Thank you for this very complete instructional video! I've really enjoyed renting bees from you and also helping the straggler bees emerge from their cocoons (baby bee faces- so cute!). I have only one question- as someone thinking of cleaning at home is it truly necessary to candle the cocoons for non viable bees? Do those non viable bees harbor disease? What if I put out the cocoons (in the spring) after the cleaning/drying/proper storage phase, then at the end of their emergence simply toss the rest of the cocoons? I can understand how removing non viable bees is important for your business of supplying cocoons but am wondering if it's truly important for a home hobbyist?

Can the bee's sex be determined at the cocoon stage? For example, my cocoons are mostly in two size groups, large or small, but not much variation in between. Are the small ones male and vice versa? If so, do you sort them by sex to assure customers get a certain M:F ratio? I assume it just random because your cocoon harvest videos show all cocoons being mixed together. Also, do males do any form of pollination or do they only mate and die off? There doesn't seem to be much information available about the roles of male vs female mason bees. Thanks.

Q meant with good intent and genuine curiosity. Bees in the wild have been getting on without human intervention for millions of years. There must be some sort of natural predator to the bees predator? Instead of us getting involved?

This didn't tell me anything about how these bees actually live, not being sold by her, but in actual nature!

I purchased a small bee house, maybe a few months ago. I don’t have any luck with them so far I did buy it back in may of this year. I did have a small wasp check it out but didn’t seem to be interested. I live on the top and 3rd floor of my apartment building. Maybe in the future if I’m fortunate. “Any suggestions”?

Wonderful bees! Thank you - I have SUBSCRIBED…

Terrible sound - can't understand anything you are saying - sounds like you're talking int a tin can!

Do you know how long it takes for a newly hatched mason bee to eat through the mud wall the mom built? If there exist several bees in one nesting tube, what happens if the bee farthest back in tube hatches before the bees blocking its exit? Interesting stuff

What's the origin of these mites? Hard to deal with the problem if we don't know the origin. You can eliminate the mites within your beehives but the bees can bring the mites right back if the origin source is somewhere else.

also I don’t understand why you would take the nesting boxes out at the end of spring? It’s August here in SoCal and my bees are making new nests constantly..

my Mason bees seem to have made new nest and within a few weeks bees have hatched out. Is this possible? They keep making new nests and I keep seeing more and more bees😊 also they seem to be doing fine. I really don’t understand why I need to clean them out. I can’t afford to rent bees and homes.😔

I’ve had bees in my bee house since about April (northeast Ohio). Almost all the holes were filled, and it’s now mid August and almost all the mud walls are broken and empty. Did they leave or did a parasite get them? For reference, we had a minor tornado and heavy rains . However I checked the bees afterwards and they were all still there. 2 weeks later they’re gone?

When do you take them out of the refrigerator?

Do they ever build a normal bee hives and do they make honey or they will just grow up and do the same like there mother

I just learned about them recently and bought the house home to host them one day ❤ thank you 🙏

Can you show a close up pic of good and bad cacoons?

Cool! Never heard of anyone harvesting/renting solitary bees

I live in florida and don't really have a winter, but I know we have mason and leafcutter bees here. What do you do if you don't have a cold season?

I've learned a lot from your videos. Thank you. I'm on my 9th generation of Masons, and it hasn't always gone well. It's so difficult to make adjustments when you wait for 46 weeks, watch and wait some more, and then hope for success. Mason bees are awesome.

I have never seen one before now, I have one in my picnic table and I thought it was a carpenter ant at first. Little dude bringing leaves that are twice her size and can hardly fly. I'm cutting up the picnic table but left her side intact and will hide it in the bush until next year.

Amazing video. Just a question: If I found them in August, summer time. How can I protect the baby bees from predators?

When you receive our blacks, are you going to tell us whether they were successful? I’m in Illinois and I think I’ve seen one leaf cutter bee but the 3 rows of my block look mostly full. Thx

Thank you for your work with bees and for sharing your experience.

A quicker way - which I advise to my network - is to place the spaces that cant be opened, nest entrance upwards (like yours) in a sealed cardboard box with a single exit hole at the top.

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.

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.

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.

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

I moved my mason bees from western Washington too eastern Washington.. I couldn’t leave them but didn’t know if they were going to live . But they did but I don’t know for how long each year the hive gets smaller and smaller

Thank you for sharing this 😊

Helpful!!❤ thank you!

its late june and i dont think any of my Willoughby leafcutter bee cocoons are alive, ive opened a couple and there is nothing inside - it looks like they have just faded into dust, any idea what could have happened to them? i kept them in my shed and brought them out when the weather started to warm in MAY [ in the UK] So disappointed as I have new bee houses and tubes waiting for them, all cleaned, waterproofed and lined.

Thank you for this! I have always been fascinated by Mason Bees and have multiple houses around for them, I will definitely do better and get the safer alternatives

I had a few of these bees in my native garden today. I'm in love with their eyes!

Thank you for this video! It's been a few weeks and hot here in NJ. Only one of my holes is empty where a bee emerged. I look every day for more to come out!

I used bamboo (about 20cm long). In winter I split them with a strong knife and got the cocons out just fine. But I have to admit it took some time and I won't go to that hassle again. I agree that using the same bamboo year after year is wrong, just like you said. Trays are much easier.

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

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

Thank you

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

🐝I love them

This was amazing and so helpful.

Really great information.

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.

no plugged holes here, first year, so sad... we do have lots of woodpeckers here :-( we don't have a garage or shed can we put in cellar?

I just watched a Leafcutter bee build her nest in the holes of my wood hammock stand. I haven’t seen her for a few days now and the holes look sealed. I live in Texas it’s hot and humid and it’s only June. Will the larvae hatch this summer?

Question.. can wasps creat nest same way mason bees do... with the clay cover. I think I have wasps within the one I saved for the fall. This wasps have already come out of the nesting pipes.

If you are in southern Arizona, this is a better option than Africanized killer honey bees, honey bees cannot pollinate tomato or pepper plants.

Well these bees are destroying my peach trees..