Hm... I've been looking at an old mason bee box that hangs on the side of the shed here and as I haven't noticed any activity around it over the past couple years, I was wondering if any of you use mason bees? I've been told they are nice little bees that are not aggressive and do a fine job of pollinating. I would like to take it down and hose it out or something, to clean out the plugged holes and get it ready for them, then look into how to attract some to the yard, but I don't want to accidently end up hosing out some baby bees hibernating in there in case I missed seeing them last year. What season to they emerge, if they are in there, and when would be the best time to knock the crud out and get it ready for new bees?
I hope Al sees this, he would have the best advice on Bees. I wouldn't know a Mason bee from any other but would love to have some. I do have some small bees that were hanging around the garden all last summer and the Rosemary blooms almost all winter so maybe I already have them. Having something to keep them around would be nice.
Here is a website about mason bee houses and it has a section on cleaning them that might help you. http://www.masonbeehomes.com/
Eileen, the Queen of Google! Thank you - this fellow had the info I needed for the wood block version I have - I have tested Pro Bee Blocks for 4 years after 5 years of using wood blocks. Wood block bee houses meant that every winter I spent many hours reaming out the previous season's used holes with a drill and a 5/16 bit. Then I disinfected the wood blocks in a mild bleach solution to kill mites and their eggs. He is advertising a different sort of bee block, of course, but along the way he has given me useful instruction - ream it out with a drill and soak briefly in bleach. (I found another site that mentioned sticking it in a bucket with a rock on top of it so it could soak in mild bleach solution, then blasting it out with the hose.) Thank you!
