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More bee stuff...
So what do you do once the bees have filled up all the holes?
In the fall when it starts to get colder I can take the trays apart & use the scoop I got as part of the kit to remove the cocoons. They can be stored somewhere cool until spring... if I want to delay the hatching (like I did this year) I can put the cocoons in the fridge, they need to stored 2 - 4 C. I was a little worried this year that the fridge was too cold but I guess it was OK!
Here's a picture of the trays so you can see how they come apart:
Here's the scoop:
& here's a Mason bee... as you can see she's not yellow & black like most bees... they look black because they move fast but they are generally iridescent blue or green:
So why keep these bees when they don't give anything back other than the next generation? There has been a decline in all kinds of pollinators so this is a way to encourage a growth in the population. Why do it? Because it's a good thing to do :)
The advantage to keeping honey bees (other than the obvious yummy & useful by products) is that unlike Mason bees, which are mainly spring pollinators, honey bees work all summer. As I eventually want to have more fruit & veg in my garden at the new place, pollinators will be a key component & I'll need them later in the season than I think the Mason bees will be around.
In the fall when it starts to get colder I can take the trays apart & use the scoop I got as part of the kit to remove the cocoons. They can be stored somewhere cool until spring... if I want to delay the hatching (like I did this year) I can put the cocoons in the fridge, they need to stored 2 - 4 C. I was a little worried this year that the fridge was too cold but I guess it was OK!
Here's a picture of the trays so you can see how they come apart:
Here's the scoop:
& here's a Mason bee... as you can see she's not yellow & black like most bees... they look black because they move fast but they are generally iridescent blue or green:
So why keep these bees when they don't give anything back other than the next generation? There has been a decline in all kinds of pollinators so this is a way to encourage a growth in the population. Why do it? Because it's a good thing to do :)
The advantage to keeping honey bees (other than the obvious yummy & useful by products) is that unlike Mason bees, which are mainly spring pollinators, honey bees work all summer. As I eventually want to have more fruit & veg in my garden at the new place, pollinators will be a key component & I'll need them later in the season than I think the Mason bees will be around.