Kitchen Garden Forum

Urgent query! There are quite a few bees buzzing around our mason bee nest, and some of the tubes appear to have emptied. I think this year I need to renew the tubes, and have bought some for that purpose. The question is, when to change the tubes? If I do it now, some of the old tubes may still have bees inside, waiting to emerge. On the other hand, if I leave it, some tubes may never produce bees, while the bees that are buzzing around may start laying eggs in the old tubes...

I thought this link might be helpful

http://www.masonbeehomes.com/year_with_bees.php

Thanks, Babe - yes, very helpful. In the absence of replies up to yesterday I thought I should press ahead anyway. I took all the tubes out, dumped the ones that were now obviously empty and put the doubtful ones/ apparently still full ones on one side. I've put new tubes in the nest and there was also room for about four of the apparently still occupied ones. I don't think I've done any harm - there were a lot of mason been busying themselves around the nest late yesterday afternoon.

Hi Ken,
I do not know how rural you live but my Mason Bee nests were attacked by Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and although as soon as I realized I gave the nests protection. Sadly the Bees didn't like that and they have found a place to nest for themselves. They have entered the vent under one of the bay windows at the front of my house and are nesting somewhere under the floor. Because of the amount of Mason Bees in evidence they must have nested in more than one place/s which I have yet to find. They seem to have colonized my plot which I am very pleased about. In general Bees are very much in evidence this year so far here. Fruit trees and flowering shrubs have been absolutely smothered with them.
JB.

Good to hear from you on this topic, Johnboy. I think the last time we were talking about it, you were trying to find somewhere to buy mason bees (as opposed to mason bee nests). Sounds as if that problem is solved, anyway!
Yes, we are very rural - down a country lane. I had trouble with woodpeckers (greater spotted in our case) when we first put the nest up, so I lashed some wire netting in a dome over the front. It doesn't look great, but it seems to have worked.

And, yes, apart from the mason bees we seem to have a lot of bees around this year. Bumble bees in several varieties, as well as some honey bees. We've also seen a few wasps, but only one hornet so far. Did you see the story in the press a week or two ago that experts are worried that the Asian hornet, which is well established on the Continent, may arrive here before long. It can be devastating to the hives of honey bees.