sleeping BEEuties

[TallTrees]

Autumnal Bucket

Talking recently about the autumn bucket list ~

This is part of my October must do

Clean my Osmia Rufa  (Red Mason Bees) 

Solitary bees nesting in tubes (or naturally in holes in brickwork/trees etc.)

I keep them as a hobby and they are great early pollinators for apple, pear, plum trees 

They are sweet and gentle do not sting

I take each tube and carefully remove each silk cocoon one by one for cleaning (34 tubes this year)

average bees in tubes 7

Each Cocoon now contains a fully developed bee in hibernation/sleeping for waking up in Spring.

This is one of nature's miracles

I clean them to save as many from pollen mites or may have fly predators putting in their eggs in the tube.

They have a sand bath in kiln dried sand to remove dirt and debris

This year they had a mild bleach bath because they all have to stay in one box so can't

let any other cocoon be infected with anything as I would lose the lot.

Photos of the bees

The female bee puts in a mud plug between each of the cells she puts in pollen and lays her egg. Finally she plugs the end with mud.   It looks impossible to get out but they do.

Everyone having a sand bath

Everyone in clean and ready for Spring in their wood box

See you all in Spring when I put you all out in the release box.

Happiness is Bee Shaped

[TallTrees]

Hi @Anonymous

They keep laying eggs until they die and this is about June 

Males die quite quickly (I believe) I do not have much research

but they do not live as long as the females for certain.

I think all the males will mate with several females as they hang around.

the box waiting for them to emerge.

I can recognise the males as they are smaller than the females and it is

noticeable that they are not about for very long.

When the males first emerge it is about a week or so before the females and

they have lots of time to feed up on nectar ~ so they do have a bit of a spree.

Total times are egg to cocoon 3 months ( I don't have specific times inbetween that

Mason Bee breeders have worked out October for other breeders info.)

Other Breeders put clear sides on the tubes to watch progress, so they have

given a safe time and that is October ~ I clean about 4th - 8th depending how

I can get time.

Once they are in cocoons then they are ready to clean.

[Anonymous]

Truly fascinating stuff @TallTrees thanks for sharing! 

Bees that don’t sting.. who’d have thought it? (The males anyway)

[TallTrees]

Hi @Anonymous

I do have some info on it ~ I made notes sometime ago.  I have been looking after bees for about 5 years.

The bee larvae hatch a few days after the eggs are laid.

They eat the food been stored for them in their cell about 10 days (I think)

The larvae then spins a silk cocoon and pupates ~ by October they are 

a bee and wait until Spring.

Thanks for asking ~ 

[TallTrees]

Hi @Anonymous

Thank you for asking questions on this topic.

I have enjoyed it very much.

PS

No Mason Bee (female or males) will sting

they do have a sting but it is very mild, like them I suppose.

If you get a chance next time you are in a park or garden check out the

bees ~ 

[Anonymous]

---

@TallTrees wrote:

Hi @Anonymous

Thank you for asking questions on this topic.

I have enjoyed it very much.

PS

No Mason Bee (female or males) will sting

they do have a sting but it is very mild, like them I suppose.

If you get a chance next time you are in a park or garden check out the

bees ~ 

---

i don’t think I’ll be checking out any bees 

[TallTrees]

Hi @Anonymous

Understood.  Thanks for your interest.  Best wishes TallTrees

[dgilbert2]

Fascinating topic @TallTrees  thank you.

Mind you, my encounter with some "wasps" in the summer was not good, disturbed a nest and a few decided to sting me near the eyes. Ended up in hospital for a few hours, I'm sure they "attacked me"!

[TallTrees]

Hi @dgilbert2

Thank you for your kind words.  Very much enjoyed by me.

Wasps ~ wasps if disturbed in nest or on travel seem to always attack.  In fact I have noticed that they tend to go for you even when trying to avoid them when a person is in their path of flight.  Nasty! very focused some of them attack bees too ~ some attack bee hives ~ bees can sort most of them out though. That experience sounds terrible hope the stings didn't last too long.

[dgilbert2]

Thanks @TallTrees  must admit it was a tough few hours, really bad headache and swelling round the eyes for 24 hours. Took anti histamines and all sorted in a couple of days. I was very brave  

[TallTrees]

Hi @dgilbert2
Reminds me of the time a mosquito bite side of my eye caused me a black eye I was quite surprised, wasn't too painful though but looked awful 😭