Build a solitary bee house - PEP BB animal.sand.bee

Nov 10, 2020 04:39:02

>> And we'll be updating the requirements to specify no cardboard or plastic.

It appears that 'update' has stopped this thread.

Paper tubes good, cardboard tubes bad? Looks like I can buy, for example, a Langstroth hive to satisfy some beekeeping PEP prerequisites here ... but I cannot purchase a pack of cardboard mason bee tubes as part of building a mason bee house?

Nov 18, 2020 19:38:07

Paul tends to not like cardboard due to the glues that are in it. So that's why paper tubes are preferred to cardboard. And natural materials like reeds and bamboo are even better.

Not every BB is as stringent on the levels of toxins that are allowed so you will find some that are more lax and the reasons for that are numerous.

gir bot · Feb 24, 2021 11:11:11

The most specific solitary ID for Barcelona area I could find was Rhodanthidium sticticum, which don't seem picky. In Spain they even breed inside vacant snail shells. I took dry bamboo canes from a local park and cut them with seceteurs, minimum 6inch tube depth, then chose openings close to pencil diameter size. Bamboo has some drawbacks year over year, but I thought I'd give it a go on a small scale. I have read that large groupings have drawbacks, so I went small. This is a south-facing wall on a covered balcony. I hope my low-tech solution to hang with materials on hand is accepted.

Thanks,
Eileen

ETA: Secured with additional metal fasteners. My understanding based on research is that this stays up two seasons then comes down for maintenance/replacement of tubes to reduce parasites/predator pressure.

gir bot · Apr 27, 2021 18:08:08

Here is my submission for the Animal Care - Sand (for Straw Points) - Build a Solitary Bee House BB.

I purchased a Bee House Upgrade Kit with Solitary Beeskit from Crown Bees. This means I needed to build the house (along with weather protection). I started with a large (long) metal can and build a roof from cedar and oak. The kit included the reeds (meeting the cavity-nesting characteristics of mason bees which also came with the kit).

The house was mounted on the east side of a shed for morning sun to help warm the bees. The wooden roof overhangs the reeds by nearly four inches to protect from rain.

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
- post a pic of your solitary bee house under construction
- post a pic of your finished solitary bee house in its final mounted location

describe what solitary bee species you're making a home for - Mason Bees
the box of bees is inside the house so the bees can warm up and hatch
there is also a tray of mud near the bee house for their use

gir bot · May 07, 2021 19:23:47

According to what I've read there are many species of mason bee native to California. Unfortunately I haven't been able to observe any, but if they are around they can take advantage of this house I made! Very simple design, I drilled a bunch of holes in a log. I put it under a tree, facing east to get the morning sun. There are holes of varying size to accommodate different bees.

May 09, 2021 11:46:09

The tree it's under has a lot of foliage that should block rain. The holes are facing down on a slight slope, so any water that runs by will flow away from them. Here's a zoomed out photo to show more of the tree.

gir bot · Jun 19, 2021 15:29:03

I received leaf-cutter bees (at least a block of their larva, anyway). They came in a block of drilled wood. They need to be off the ground, be sheltered from the wind, and face the sun in the morning to get up and warm enough to fly! So I built a little shelf for them under the eaves of my barn.
My kids and I learned about them to make this habitat. I will also fashion a reed section of this house and supply clay mud in a close vicinity. Next I'm excited to plant 3-season nectar flowers for them!!

gir bot · Sep 16, 2021 07:24:36

i made a house for mason bees with all different sized holes. i placed this on top of my wood shed which is next to my garden.

gir bot · Feb 11, 2022 21:07:35

I did not know we had so many different species of solitary bees in Australia. So I did a bit of research and bam! Over 1700 different species on this magic continent of ours!

What's common in my area is the Resin Bee and thus I built a bee house that would fit it's desired specifications all according to this link:

https://www.aussiebee.com.au/abol-current.html#abol026

It specifies 3mm - 10mm holes and made of any Australian hard wood. We have a mish-mash pile sitting in our driveway from a recent renovation so that'll be our starting resources.

Overall a very fun build and bring on those pollinators!

gir bot · Feb 27, 2022 12:01:49

I received a mason bee house as a gift and decided to take it apart for this BB. It was bamboo with alot of glue, so I had to remove it. My backing is made out of recycled milk carton tied with a leather strap. Set myself up for a brand twofer here. 2 wood screws were used. I didn't use any of the attractant I've seen on the market. I did read my Crown Bees Guide. I hope to foster some mason, leafcutter, and any other native bees which is why I used various sizes. This faces east for the morning sun and overlooks my Mesqute Guild. Time will tell.

That's my roommate. He's kinda weird, but he always pays his half of the rent. And he gave me this tiny ad:

Back the BEL - Invest in Permaculture

https://permies.com/w/bel-fundraiser