Mason bee nesttubes feedback

[BugFriendly]

for those of you interested in encouraging mason bees to your garden....
I'm new to this site but have looked at some of the previous related postings and would like to update on my findings.

Have always used the nesting tubes that are now supplied by CJ Wildbird foods (after they took over the project from Oxford Bee Co).
Put up first tubes (1 x 100 and 1 x30) in 2001. A total of 25 tubes were filled that year.
In 2009, I had over 300 tubes completely filled plus others in drilled logs and bamboo canes. I have intermittently returned filled tubes to the project co-ordinators and received new tubes in return but I also top up with new tubes
Last year, I did have a lot of old tubes that I was unsure of their status but
many of these were re-opened by the nesting bees and re-used. For about 3 weeks or so, it is like having a hive outside my patio doors !

All my nesters face south-east. I have experimented, even having one nester facing south (on the corner of my house about 1 foot from a south-east facing one) but the take-up is much lower but increases once the preferred tubes are filled.
My tubes are overwintered in an unheated old garage, some years loose wrapped in screwed up newspaper and some years in the plastic nester pipe. I have not noticed any difference in spring emergence.

Spring weather does impact upon when I put the tubes back out. Unscientific I'm afraid but eg. 2009, males were out and about on April 4th and the the first tubes were filled by April 22nd whereas in 2008, April 22 was the first decent warm day with any noticeable activity at all.

[BugFriendly]

further to above.
Nesters are all wall-muonted , just under 6 feet off ground. But drilled logs and bamboo canes used at any height it appears providing facing in the right direction.

[Kleftiwallah]

I use a collection of dry 'Cow Parsley stalks cut to length - they're FREE ! ! ! ! Cheers, Tony.

[Jason Green]

Afternoon BF, and welcome to WAB!

I have Mason bees Osmia rufa using a shop-bought cane-based housing unit. Oh the hours of interest it can provide, watching the adults bringing in cut leaves and mud to furnish the cells with! I even saw a klepto-parasite fly move in last year - I hope there are no serious detrimental effects on my population this Spring.

Originally Posted by Kleftiwallah

I use a collection of dry 'Cow Parsley stalks cut to length - they're FREE ! ! ! ! Cheers, Tony.

Ah, nice idea! The adults lay eggs in late Spring/early Summer and these over-winter with the new generation for the subsequent year hatching from these. If your Cow Parsely bio-degrades as I'm sure it will - what happens to your eggs out of interest. I take it the stems last a year as they would in the wild, before dying back or do they survive a longer period? Interesting

Take care,

Jason

[Dogghound]

I have put up 3 in all each facing a different direction, so I can see if there is a preference, or if certain species like certain angles.

[fairplay]

I put one together last week using a hollow dead Elm trunk section, 8 inches long. Using 2 year old canes cut from an out of control Bamboo shrub/clump, I cut these into 8 inch lengths with my secateurs and rammed them into the hollow.
I knew nothing about orientation, so just positioned it in a sunny location. According to the OP, I need to 'orientate' this so that the canes are on a SE to NW axis, have I interpreted this correctly ?
Also, I gather I need not put this in position until April - correct ?

I just assumed the bees lived in there for the summer then died off, but it seems from what is written here that eggs are laid - then what ?

Neil.

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by fairplay

I just assumed the bees lived in there for the summer then died off, but it seems from what is written here that eggs are laid - then what ?

Sorry, got my facts slightly wrong! They over-winter in coccoons as fully-developed bees, having been developing through the summer as larvae. The resulting adults then begin the cycle over in next Spring.

Update:

Originally Posted by Jason Green

I even saw a klepto-parasite fly move in last year - I hope there are no serious detrimental effects on my population this Spring.

...is Cacoxenus indagator