MASON BEES

I decided to move my mason bees from the allotment to the back garden. Last year was the first year I had them, they only capped one tube so I thought I’d like to offer them something better in here. I have got a fairly large manuka tree, grown from seed near the the place where I fixed the holder with the tubes. I didn’t check for a long time and the other day I managed to get to it, there is a large elderberry bush nearby too. To my delight I found nine capped tubes!

20200620_200414

After reminding myself what to do next I took the inner tubes out and stored them upright in a small jar on a shelf in the sitting room. I replaced these with empty ones and put them back in the holder. I am hoping they will carry on the same way and cap many more. It is well worth the effort, we have to keep the bee population protected.

A GREAT DAY

A package with some mason bees cocoons arrived yesterday in the post – a red-letter day for me.

I took them to the allotment in the morning and installed them in their little home and now just have to wait. I shall have to go there in the morning, take them out (I had to put them inside the shed overnight) and put them back in their little house. Each evening they’ll go back inside and in the morning out….a nice little routine, just like having chickens perhaps…

Watch this space!

 

BEES

We did have a bee hive on the site but unfortunately the bees swarmed twice and left us – obviously they didn’t like us!

Shame, it would have been good for the plants but I haven’t given up. I have found out about Mason bees. I would very much like to get them, next year , it is late this year and hopefully it’ll be a big help to our plants. Not only that but it’ll help to keep them going.

I’ll be going to the NEC on the 17th of this month to the BBC garden show, I might find out a bit more there.