Setting up your Mason Bee Home
Congratulations on your Mason Bee home or cocoon purchase. We have outlined some information for you with easy instructions to get you up and running.
These instructions are only for proper Mason nesting blocks that will separate for cleaning. If you are using other methods like bamboo sticks, drilled holes in wood, or straws, etc., any material that does not give you access to your Mason Bee cocoons for proper cleaning is definitely not recommended to be used.
All you are doing is contaminating your and your neighbors' gardens with predators that are killing off the Mason Bees. In a few years, you will have no Mason Bees in your neighborhood.
Let’s get started!
1. Immediately place your Mason Bee cocoons in your fridge at approximately 38 degrees Fahrenheit or 3.3 degrees Celsius to keep them dormant until you’re ready to release them into your Mason Bee home.
2. Depending on the weather and food supply, you can release them anytime from March to the end of April.
3. Install your Mason Bee home facing south or west, out of direct rain and wind. Sunlight is crucial as it warms up the bees' wings for early flying.
4. If you decide to hang your home, it needs to be tilted forward for rain to run outwards, and it should be at least 4 feet off the ground, preferably under a back wall at a height where you can easily enjoy and monitor the action.
A. You can also set your Mason Bee home on a patio table. This has become a popular location for many homeowners. It is also my favorite location.
B. Never move your Mason Bee home once your bees have emerged. They will have a difficult time finding their home as they are used to the previous location.
5. Remove the bee tab from your Mason Bee cocoon box. Place the cocoon box with the open end on top of the nesting block, facing about 3 inches from your home's back wall.
6. Temperature should be approximately 50°F or 10°C for about 4 to 5 days for the Mason Bees to emerge from the cocoons. Sometimes it may take them a longer time to emerge.
7. Your yard needs to contain at least 25% of blossoms for their food supply. When the Mason Bees emerge, food supply is very important for them. Otherwise, they will fly away to look for food and a new home.
8. Mason Bees require a supply of mud or clay to plug up the tunnels after they have deposited an egg on the pollen pillow. If you have no mud supply, dig a hole approximately 12 inches wide and deep, then add water to keep the clay soft somewhere around 25 feet from your Mason Bee home. We also sell Mason Bee clay tunnels.
9. Continue to monitor your Mason Bee house every day to make sure your clay supply is sufficient.
Sometimes wasps will make a small nest in the very top of your house. Just take a stick to remove it.
10. If you’re lucky enough to have Mason Bees in your area, they could fill up your Mason Bee nesting blocks very quickly. If 70% of your nesting tunnels are muddied up, I would recommend another home immediately, which is available for free through our Mason Bee maintenance program. If no new nesting blocks are added, the bees will start building on the inside walls of your home, which means those cocoons will never hatch and are lost, or the bees will fly away and try and find another home.
11. Sometimes by the middle to end of June, you will see no more bees flying in and out of their home. Take your home down and place it in your garden shed or garage; this will help protect your cocoons from predators. Also, keep your baby cocoons safe and dry.
12. Any time in October, you can open up your nesting blocks and harvest your Mason Bee cocoons. You can also call us to see if you qualify to join our Mason Bee program, where we do all the work for you: cleaning your cocoons and nesting blocks, storing your cocoons through the winter months in a proper temperature (38f or 3c) humidity (60-70%) cooler (do not freeze). Give you a clean supply of Mason Bees and nesting blocks in the spring for another successful Mason Bee harvest.
For any questions, feel free to contact me at 604-788-3656.
Saving the environment one bee at a time!
