[Arid_gardener] Orchard Mason Bees and leafcutter bees

[Tyler Storey]

Hi Corinne,
This is my second question about tube-building solitary bees in one day.
This may be a trend.

I know that Orchard Mason Bees are sensitive to temperature in terms of
emerging, nesting, etc., so it is possible, though not certain, that the
transition from cool Oregon to warm Arizona was too much for them.  

I don't know of any local sources for Orchard Mason Bees, but I would
encourage you to consider cultivating our local solitary bees -- the
Leafcutter Bees -- instead.  Leafcutter bees are wonderful natural
pollinators, solitary as are the Orchard Masons, and also nesting in tubes.
Coincidentally, I just this morning put together a Leafcutter bee nesting
box, in the hopes of encouraging their presence in my garden.  It is
essentially a bundle of bamboo segments, each with an interior diameter of
less than 1/4 inch, held together in a wooden frame.  Leafcutter bees aren't
particularly fussy about their nesting sites, and I have found them in
places ranging from nail holes in a door frame to the space between two
outdoor chair cushions, but I figured a custom-made nesting box would at the
least be a welcoming gesture.  

As you probably know, leafcutter bees get their name from their habit of
cutting ovals out of the edges of leaves, and using those to build their
tube-shaped nests.  While some folks are concerned about the damage, the
bees rarely -- if ever -- really hurt the plant, and their pollination
services and fascinating habits far outweigh any minor untidiness.  Like the
Orchard Mason bees, leafcutter bees forage close to home, so encouraging a
good population in your yard is a great benefit to your fruit trees,
vegetables, and wildflowers.  

Speaking as a veteran leafcutter-bee-nesting-box-builder -- well, OK, yes,
I've only built the one, but that was at least 12 hours ago -- I think
you'll find it pretty simple to cut some bamboo stakes in segments and hold
them together with a couple of pieces of scrap lumber.  Place the nesting
box in a somewhat shady area with plenty of flight-path space and where it
will sit firmly without being disturbed.  I think you will find over time
that the bees will find you, rather than you having to find the bees.  

I hope this helps,
Tyler

tyler at tylerstorey.com
http://tylerstorey.com
http://tylerstorey.blogspot.com
602-738-2978

-----Original Message-----
From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
[mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of smithcl at cox.net
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 4:40 PM
To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

Corinne Smith
85253
smithcl at cox.net

I would like specific information about raising Orchard Mason Bees in the
Phoenix area.
I ordered bees this spring from Oregon - some emerged from their tubes, but
did not build new nests.  A neighbor had the same experience, while another
friend's bees did not emerge at all.  Is there somewhere locally where I
could order bees next season?  All info will be appreciated.

Thank you.


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