Season-by-Season Instructions

The life cycle of most solitary bees fits into a regular pattern. They overwinter as dormant adults in cocoons, and about the time apple trees begin blooming in the spring, the first Orchard Mason males appear.  Mating between males and females usually occurs at the nest site, with males waiting by the nest for females to emerge.  After mating, the females begin searching for new nest sites, which may be in previously used insect borings in wood, plant canes, underneath clapboard, in masonry weep holes, and of course, in Native Bee houses, if they're lucky enough to find one!  

Each female constructs her own nest, using mud (Mason Bees) or leaves (Leafcutter Bees) to partition each cell.  She forages for pollen and nectar, and makes a pollen-nectar loaf upon which she deposits one egg.  She then seals the cell with either mud or leaf pieces, and begins the process again, making 7 - 8 cells within a 6" deep hole or straw.  Within a few days the eggs hatch and the larvae feed until it's time to pupate.  By late October the pupae become adults, spinning cocoons around themselves, but they remain inactive until spring, when they emerge and the amazing cycle repeats itself.

Nesting straws capped with mud ...just as early plants start to bloom, hang your Plan Bee house in a warm, sunny location (facing east or southeast) where the bees will get the early morning sun to help them get moving, but are protected from wind and rain. Higher than 4 ft is best to keep critters away, and against a solid wall is better than on a tree or fence post, since any movement can dislodge the eggs from their food supply. Once the trees and shrubs begin to bloom, you'll hopefully attract some wild Orchard Mason Bees to your Bee House (and if not, purchase some local bees online). Be sure your bees have a source of mud nearby for their wall-building!

...the males will hatch out of their cocoons a few days before the females. (If you listen you can actually hear them crunching their way out!) Once the females emerge and mate, they'll immediately begin nesting. You’ll see them flying in and out of the holes, gathering a small pile of nectar and pollen, laying an egg on top of it, then collecting mud to safely wall it off from predators. Like all bees, the female will only live from 4 – 8 weeks, laying between one and two eggs each day. After 6 - 8 weeks the females will die and the eggs will grow into mature bees over the summer.

Once you see the nesting activity cease (usually in early June) it's very important to cover the holes to protect the eggs from predators like ants, wasps, birds and squirrels. Strange as it sounds, I've found that the best and easiest way to accomplish this is to cut the legs off a pair of pantyhose, and gently slide it from the bottom up (assuming your bee house is hanging) till it covers all the holes.  Make sure someone holds the house still as you do this since it's very important to avoid moving or jarring the Bee House during this period. (If you have to tip it, try to tip it backward so that the eggs will fall onto the stores of food, rather than away from it. If the eggs are dislodged from their food supplies they won't survive.) Another easy option is to wrap the whole house in a piece of fabric that insects can't penetrate, tying it tightly near the hanging nail so ants and other insects can't crawl in.  Now just let it hang while the bees are developing inside. . .

...Early June is a good time to hang up a second native bee house to attract summer pollinating native Leafcutter Bees. These bees nest in the same way as Mason bees, but use small circles of leaves to divide their nest cells, rather than mud.  They emerge in early June, just as the Mason Bees are finishing their nesting, and will pollinate your summer flowers and vegetable gardens until early fall. The females will do all the work, so all you need to do is relax, admire your beautiful garden flowers and enjoy your delicious garden crops!

By mid-July it's safe and a good idea to move the Plan Bee House, especially if it's getting a lot of hot, summer sun.  Move it to a garage or shed if you've got the space, either standing upright or laying flat on its back with straws facing the ceiling.  Leave the straws in the holes to protect them, but wrap the house in aluminum foil to keep the mice from chowing down while you're sleeping.  (Check out my photo gallery to see what those little varmints can do to a nesting straw!)

By September both the Orchard Mason Bees and the Leafcutter Bees will have developed into adult bees and formed cocoons around themselves.  They will remain in this dormant state through the fall and winter, hibernating until temperatures start to rise again the following spring.

...the time to move your bees to a cool location so they can hibernate over the winter. Yes, you may just leave them in the bee house over the winter, but I don't suggest it. Not only will the harsh weather age your Plan Bee House more quickly, the bees might start hatching during those odd warm spells we occasionally experience during the winter and early spring. Without blooming plants for food, and with the eventual onset of seasonably cold temperatures, the males will die very quickly - dooming your entire year of native beekeeping.

So I recommend storing your cocoon-filled inner straws in an unheated shed, detached garage or, my personal favorite, your refrigerator crisper drawer — just as long as the temperature stays between about 38F – 41F.  Before you remove the inner straw liners it’s important to mark the end of each one with a pencil or marker so you'll know which side the bees will emerge from in the spring. They can only move forward, so you don't want them facing the wrong way! Now you need to slide the cocoon-filled inner straw liners out of the cardboard tubes. I've found that the easiest and safest way to accomplish this is to purchase a 5/16" or 3/8" piece of wooden dowel from your local hardware store (costs about $1), or if you bought a Better Bee House you'll find one inside. Starting at the front ends you just marked, use the dowel to gently push the inner liners out the back of the cardboard tubes. (If they don't slide out easily, just leave them in the cardboard tube.) Store the cardboard tubes in the Bee House to be re-used next year, and place the cocoon-filled straws in a clean, empty container for protection as they hibernate. If you're storing the straws in your fridge, a paper lunch bag will do just fine; if you're storing them in an unheated building, place them in a coffee can with breathing holes in the lid, or something that mice and rats can't chew through. That's it! You're all done till next spring when the fun begins anew.

...when daytime temperatures are regularly getting above 50F, pick up some mineral oil from your local drug store and give your bee house a good coating - but not the entire bottom!  I learned the hard way that trying to stick Velcro onto a newly-oiled surface doesn't work too well ;-), so if you use Velcro to attach your release container to the bottom of your Bee House,  skip the oil on the bottom section.  Be sure to remove all the cardboard protector tubes first, and get the oil down into all the holes (Q-tips work pretty well) since this keeps them from swelling.  If you do this every year your Plan Bee House will last a very long time!

Once the oil has had a couple of days to absorb, grab a handful of new, clean paper straw liners, place one inside each cardboard protector tube, and then slide them back into each Plan Bee House nesting hole. (This is very important since it provides clean nesting areas that result in healthy, parasite-free colonies.) Hang your Plan Bee House back up and retrieve your bees from their winter storage spot.

Milk carton for nesting. Here's the easiest way I've found to both protect the bees as they hatch, AND be able to watch them emerge, which is amazingly entertaining:  Locate a clean half-gallon paper milk carton and carefully tear open the top seal so you have easy acccess to the inside. Using a couple strips of heavy duty Velcro (or twine, rubber bands, duct tape) securely attach the milk carton to the bottom of your Bee House so that the pouring spout, which is where the bees will exit, is facing down and the bottom of the carton is flush with the back of the Bee House.

Now place your loose cocoons all the way to the back of the carton in a single layer. If you have bee-filled inner nesting straws, slide them all the way to the back of the carton, making sure that all the marked ends are facing toward the sun.  Close the carton back up using a paper clip or clothes pin to keep them safe until you're ready to take a peek.

Within a few days, weather permitting, the male bees will start chewing their way out of the cocoons (listen for the crunching sounds.)  They'll wait patiently for the females to emerge a few days later, and then they'll mate and the females will begin laying eggs in the clean nesting holes you've provided for them. They usually hatch mid-morning and, depending upon the weather, it may take up to two weeks for all of them to emerge.

After a couple of weeks all the bees should have hatched from the milk carton, but before you toss those dirty nesting straws in the garbage, gently unwind them to be sure that some bees aren't trapped inside. You'll be amazed at how many 'bee lives' you'll save by doing this, and it's almost always the females who are trapped at the very back of the straw.

Now - congratulate yourself for helping to increase the population of our talented native pollinators!