Another thing I try and do is to keep spiders and webs off the boxes. This is tricky for me and I have them in the eaves of a shed where spiders love to be, but they can predate the bee cocoons, so I clear the webs off when I remember.
Oh thankyou so much for your comments and advice. Much appreciated. Good idea abou5 the mud and lambs ear. I hope to post pictures along with everyone else of happy bees.
This morning it looks like three bees have emerged or are trying to. Bees are buzzing around the full Schwegler block and not remotely interested in the Pilkington next door, so perhaps males can smell that females are now emerging from there and are ready to mate.
Exciting to see three new holes in the mud caps. South facing in hot sun this morning.
My house that's the same as your top one is the most popular. I have a tube one like your bottom one too and they will use it but only once the other one is full. I think I had 4 or 5 hatch out today, only about 30 to go! Lots in the garden though, obviously from other over winter locations.
There did seem to be lots of mites crawling about in there.
I think mites get a bad press. Loads of them are just harmless cleaners that are let down by the actions of a few of their parasitic mates.
I've given my boxes an overhaul this year too. One didn't have many vacant bamboo tubes left and the other still had the original reeds in there and the lower ones were actually growing mushrooms. I emptied them out last week but only got around to putting the new bamboo in today. I hadn't even finished the job before the first bee started filling up on the the tubes. Luckily she picked a fairly tidy one at the bottom so I didn't have to disturb it. Top photo is the splintery tubes still clogged with pith, middle photo is the finished job all nicely sanded and with the pith taken, lower pic is my little overseer checking on my work.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
"I think mites get a bad press. Loads of them are just harmless cleaners that are let down by the actions of the few".
No doubt.
I have had zero luck with bamboo in the past, maybe too wide a gauge. Are their any good resources out there, books, videos aside from George?
You have championed bee box cleaning in the past. What are your thoughts on this currently? I am interested in any perspectives on solitary bee nesting from the One Who Knows.
I have been quite lazy with my cleaning over the last couple of years but there's certainly no shortage of bees and plenty have hatched out. Dave Goulson's Garden Jungle book has some good details about nest boxes and he knows a thing or two about bees. He also makes some good comments about George too and it's nice to get some informed info from another perspective.
I'd say over half of the bamboo tubes had been used by mason bees. The leaf cutters prefer the bricks if they can find a vacancy. A few wasps have also used the smaller holes in the brick. I'm not sure the carder bees are getting a chance now so I might need to expand my hotel empire.
@wild edges - so you don't think uncleanable bee bricks are a potential hazard? My hardwood brick is the most popular of all the ones I have (DIY and bought) but uncleanable. George seems to get quite worked up about 'bee brick apocalypse' and bamboo disaster.
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And one I bought years ago that I never got around to fitting. Not sure if this tube type are any good though? Better late than never..
I think I had 4 or 5 hatch out today, only about 30 to go! Lots in the garden though, obviously from other over winter locations.