My George box is full and I'm waiting for one channel of last year's leaf cutters to emerge. These cells might well have failed. The Schwegler box is very alive still with microbees every day. The other nesting sites have been completely ignored. I've seen no leaf cutter leaf chewing in my gardens (on roses mostly) this year yet.
I usually see perfect hole punch marks in the leaves about now. I've had a lot of sawfly damage this year on the rose leaves. I wonder if scragginess may make them more unpalatable to bees... an interesting idea.
My first leaf-cutter tube has just been capped off with what looks like runner bean leaves and she's looking for a new hole to clean out to make another. This included investigating my right nostril while I was taking photos.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
So after reading that most bee houses are deathtraps for bees, I've been looking for ones that aren't. Has anyone heard of mason bees? https://www.masonbees.co.uk/
Are their houses any good? They seem cleaner, which I did always wonder about with bee houses. Has anyone used them?
I have one of these ones and it isnt very popular! Annoying because I like the concept. I think they filled around 8 tubes last year, none this year but my bee houses have been rubbish; even though I see the bees around the garden, only 4 tubes filled in all my houses put together.
ooo, my only leaf cutter channel has emerged in the last few days (oh me of little faith). They all to have processed out in a mannerly order, which is a relief. There are a few at the back still to emerge.
The channels below are mason bee cocoons, just getting going. \
There are seven types of leaf cutters in the UK. Last year's had a penchant for roses. (Don't we all).
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Here is a someone having a nap. I like the reflection of her in the plastic sheet. (I'm presuming this pic is of an emergant bee and not a predator or someone else having a nap. I can't see them through the screen). The Pilkington boxes are very popular as nap houses.
Here is a someone having a nap. I like the reflection of her in the plastic sheet. (I'm presuming this pic is of an emergant bee and not a predator or someone else having a nap. I can't see them through the screen).
That's the tail end of a male wool carder bee by the looks of it.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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