• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Mason and leaf cutter bees questions

 
Posts: 43
3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Can leaf-cutter bees and Mason bees nest in the same tubes at the same time? I know Mason bees are earlier in the spring and leaf-cutter bees are more towards the summertime, but will they nest in the tubes at the same time and not have conflict between them?

Are leaf-cutter bees also not aggressive?
 
author & steward
Posts: 7150
Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
3340
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

At my place, leaf-cutter bees prefer a hole size of 3/16", but will occupy larger and smaller holes. The instructions I read online for mason bees recommend a hole size of 5/16".  That's within the size range that the leaf-cutter bees will use, but they only use them after smaller holes have been filled. If I were to attempt to cultivate mason bees, I would cultivate them separately, at least to start. At my place leaf cutter bees are active in late summer.

I think I've only been stung once by a leaf-cutter. I don't know if I'd call leaf-cutter bees non-aggressive. Maybe it's just the honeybee keeper in me being hyper-wary. When a bee starts making threatening sounds, and I'm not fully protected, I'm running away regardless of species.

 
M. Korsz
Posts: 43
3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks for the info!  I just thought of something. ...what if I had two batches of mason bee cocoons and hatched one the normal time in the early spring. Then kept the other batch in the refrigerator until early summer and then i would have the second batch to pollinate during the summer around the time the first batch is dying off.

How big are leaf-cutter bees? A 3/16 hole seems pretty small
 
Royal Flush Bitches! Pay up tiny ad:
12 DVDs bundle
https://permies.com/wiki/269050/DVDs-bundle
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic