Solitary bees hatching

[p-crackers]

My bee box was put up this spring (2011) and many of the tubes/cells were filled.
Nothing has hatched yet.

Do the bees/grubs stay in the bee box over winter and emerge in Spring 2012?

I hope that is the case rather than they have died.

I have just put up two other bee boxes and bees often sit in the tunnels/tubes looking out in the evening sunshine.

Thanks for any information.

PC

[eucera]

The bees will emerge next spring. They have just 1 generation per year

[southlonder]

Originally Posted by Susie

I had a great time watching the solitary bees escaping from their mud cells in the bee box today (and from the holes in the garden hose reel). If anyone hasn't got a bee box I would heartily recommend you get one, they're great.

I had heard bad reviews - could you give more details of where you keep it and also how big your garden is etc?

[eucera]

@ southlondoner

Not sure quite what you mean about "bad reviews". There are many (completely justified) "bad reviews" of the efficacy of bumblebee boxes. The proprietary ones are simply useless. If you want bumbles in your garden you's be better off sticking up a Blue Tit nest box and hope you get Bombus hypnorum!

The bee tubes are altogether different and are used by cavity nesting solitary bees and wasps. Providing you have some of the intended species in your area anyway, the tubes can attract literally thousands of bees. My bee hotel now has about 95% occupancy (which equates to some 800+ sealed nests). These tubes get good reviews

[tigger]

Southlonder - you might fancy making your own bee/wasp hotel!

I spent a couple of hours in the spring drilling different sized holes in logs (use broadleaf logs - conifer logs not good - also different bees like different sized holes) and filling up an old coldframe (put on it's side) also used the hollow dried stems of plants in the garden (and old bamboo canes cut up). I even added a small sandpit at the bottom - in case any wanted to dig! I've had lots of interest this year, and can't wait to see what happens next spring.

Some of the species seen on the bee/wasp hotel have been:

Leaf cutter bees
Blue mason bee
Red mason bee
Jewel wasps (stunning colours!)
Wood wasps
Mason/Potter wasps

I've spent far too many hours this year watching them



Jane

[southlonder]

Originally Posted by eucera

@ southlondoner

Not sure quite what you mean about "bad reviews". There are many (completely justified) "bad reviews" of the efficacy of bumblebee boxes. The proprietary ones are simply useless. If you want bumbles in your garden you's be better off sticking up a Blue Tit nest box and hope you get Bombus hypnorum!

The bee tubes are altogether different and are used by cavity nesting solitary bees and wasps. Providing you have some of the intended species in your area anyway, the tubes can attract literally thousands of bees. My bee hotel now has about 95% occupancy (which equates to some 800+ sealed nests). These tubes get good reviews

Where did you buy it from?

[p-crackers]

Originally Posted by eucera

The bees will emerge next spring. They have just 1 generation per year

Thanks for the info.

I have two Wildlife World Solitary Bee Hives, one of which was put up in this spring and was immediately occupied.... probably 75% full.
It's on a south facing wall about 5 feet up.
I have just put up another Wildlife World box and a Tom Chambers for a bit of variety.
Also in the spring I noticed Bumble bees checking out one of the ventilation cracks further along this wall. This was done at the base of the wall.
So I bought a Bumble bee box and placed it on the ground at this point.
I think I missed the moment as no further Bumble bees visited.
However one evening a big Black and yellow Bumble bee had come down on the lawn. It was getting dark and the nights we have had this summer have been very cold with heavy dew on the grass in the morning.
So I carefully put the Bumble Bee in the box and it seemed to nestle into the bedding.
To be honest I thought that she wouldn't see the night thru.... but next morning she crawled out of the box and was stationary on the patio. I moved her to a sunny flower and about half an hour later she flew away.
So I am hoping her scent may attract other Bumble Bees next spring.

Back to my solitary bees... the problem I have now is that three of them have laid their eggs and blocked up the holes on my hosepipe real.
I didn't worry about it because I thought they would have hatched and flown by now. But now I will have to be careful with them and not put the hose real in the dark of the garage for winter protection, bur put it in the shed where there will be some light. And then make sure the hose real is back on the wall in early spring before they hatch.

PC

[eucera]

Originally Posted by southlonder

Where did you buy it from?

I didn't... its home made Bee Hotel | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

There are loads of examples if you do a search for "Bee Hotels" on FlickR - pretty well all home made

[Billabong Karen]

So - what would you advise as being the best time of year to put up or construct a bee hotel?? I have one, which I put up a couple of years ago, and it was certainly used in the spring. Is autumn the best time? And are there any ready made versions which you can advise?

[p-crackers]

The Wildlife World bee box I put up at the beginning of August has now got one of it's tunnels all filled in and plastered over.

This has surprised me as I thought the bees wouldn't use it until next spring.

Although I have seen a few bees reversing into the tunnels and sit there in the evening sunshine looking out.

The tube was filled in fairly quickly probably only a day or two. So I didn't see who did it. I wonder if they will hatch/emerge next spring or will they need the full year and come out mid summer.

The weather has been so disappointing of late with really cold nights. And it gets dark so early. it's very gloomy out there now, with some street lamps coming on and it's only 8pm (BST).... perhaps the poor little bee thought it was Spring and not summer.