Page 37 - ALG Issue 4 2018

Before cleaning (left) and after cleaning (right)
and the tube will open cleanly. Keep one hand on the knife handle and the other flat on top of the blade for safety.
Cleaning cocoons
Initially the cocoons can be cleaned by sieving them in fine horticultural sand, then follow the guide below to remove harmful parasites.
A male red mason bee hatching out in a release chamber
nesters then surely the aim is to increase the population of bees in our gardens? That said you can reach a bee overload situation, in which case I ask friends and neighbours to host a nester in their own garden. By adopting this form of husbandry, you can increase the numbers of red mason bees year on year (given the vagaries of the weather). And if you can get a child or two interested in these lovely little creatures then surely that can only be a good thing.
Don’t forget to dry your cocoons before storage; pat them gently with some kitchen
roll then leave them on another piece of kitchen roll to dry for a few minutes. Storing the cocoons when damp can lead to problems with mould which can be simply wiped off should it occur, but why create problems when a little care ensures this doesn’t happen in the first place?
Why create problems when a little care ensures this doesn’t happen in the first place?
Look out for another ‘exciting’ instalment in February, when I will give you some advice on putting your nesters outside ready for the new season and also how to deal with leafcutter bees. These bees overwinter as pupae so their cocoons should be left well alone until next spring.
If the Editor is happy I would like to do a follow up article in the next edition to show
Vindication of a little winter care and attention, bamboo tubes should be replaced annually, though ones drilled out to 8mm can have a CJ paper liner fitted and used again. Wooden trays can be cleaned with boiling water, scrubbed with an old toothbrush and left outside to dry before going back in the nester. Tubes and slots should be at least 160mm long. 8-10mm diameter holes are good for red mason bees and 10-12mm for leafcutters. Tubes of 3-7mm may attract other types of bee too. The nesters themselves can be scalded out with boiling water and any maintenance needed done in the autumn. Store them indoors during the winter, load them with new tubes in the spring, and then you can sit back and be richly
how to build a bee nester and also introduce to you a few other solitary bees that you may find in your gardens or on your allotment. Happy allotmenteering!
Ron Rock, volunteer with the Bumblebee CTV
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Refrigerated cocoons in plastic trays on a bed of damp kitchen towel
entertained by these wonderful little bees, which, as pollinators, are up there with the very best; a useful addition to an allotment, especially if there is a variety of fruit trees on site.
The tub of water keeps up the humidity levels to stop the bees from dehydrating. The paper towels in the storage trays are dry by the way. If stored in a fridge you will need to keep the humidity levels of 60-70% so some sort of humidity indicator will be needed. A temperature of around 2-4 degrees Celsius is perfect. Alternatively, you can simply put the cocoons in a rodent-proof container in an unheated outbuilding, but preferably not a shed. Sheds can get warm on a sunny day in winter and this can cause your bees to
use up their precious fat reserves too quickly. This can cause early emergence or death within the tubes, neither of which is ideal.
Ready for the new season: small nesters are easier to look after than the huge ones that seem to be in vogue at the moment. Small is beautiful in my opinion.
Some may say let nature take its course, but if we put out bee
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