The Bees have been busy building homes for over a month and progress is being made. Some of the holes have been mudded over.
They have also found my pile of Bamboo. I was using it as plant markers when I started new bushes or trees. I cut them up and placed them in the pollen trap box im experimenting with.
I placed their bee home up higher, it confused them for a few minutes but also seemed to make them a little curious about the pollen trap. I had to move the bee home as Lovely Logic's dog sometimes sticks her face in the bee home. Im worried its going to dislodge the mud in the homes and damage them. Sometimes she tries to eat them too.. lol
I placed the bee home on top of the pollen box so its out of the reach of the dog. It worked out to place it on top, the shape was similar to the pollen box.
It was funny watching the bees checking out the pollen box, they were like "Something has changed here." But within a few minutes they figured it out.
Just glad the dog cant get to them anymore. I dont want any dead bees because of the dog and I dont get the dog to get stung by trying to eat an otherwise friendly bee.
I wonder if the bees prefer this bee house compared to the webcam set up because it was around last year. I see more activity visiting the little bee house. Maybe because the bees noticed the bee house first, before the webcam setup I have near by.
Maybe the bees prefer the cover, though the webcam setup with all the boards is protected as well. I think it has to do with the markings left by the female Mason Bees the previous year. Attracting the new generation to the same place to make more of their spawn.
When the bees first showed up, they took interest in my hanging planters. I found them making mud homes in the cavity of the backs of the vertical planters. Square holes that are a few feet long, perfect for making mud homes for the bees.
I moved the bee house close to the planters, and had sucesss in attracting them that way. Hoping I could do the same with the pollen trap, that way I can harvest some pollen from them.
My macro camera setup, taking video close inside the bee house. The bees dont seem to mind. They queue up behind me waiting for me to move out of their way trying to get into the homes.
Things will be slowing down soon for the bees, but they will return next year as well as long as their mud homes survive. Or if I harvest them and take care of the cocoons like I did last winter. I have not decided if im going to harvest or just let them live inside the bee boards for the first year. Since not all of them are filled up yet. I may wait until I have full occupancy. Hoping next year ill have alot more females to produce homes in the bee boards. As this year the female Mason Bees had the opportunity to use the routed out boards I made for them. Designed to encourage more females to be produced.
