It’s that time of year! If you have a mason bee house, it’s cleaning time!
Mason bees, and other solitary bees such as leaf cutters, are one nature’s best pollinators. They are docile, easy to care for, and are critical pollinators for food and ecosystems. Mason bee houses promote mason bee action and pollination, but without the proper care, they can be detrimental to the population. Mason bee houses are akin to farming where close quarters can encourage the spread of disease, mold, and parasitic / predatory species that can wipe out your solitary bees and be damaging to the wider population. But this can be mitigated by cleaning your mason bee house every fall and storing the little bugs until spring.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov 1st at 1:30 pm, Suzanne Sarioglu will be showing me how to clean out ThINC’s mason bee house, located at the Pollinator Garden. If you’d like to pick up some tips on bee house management, join us at the Nature House (The Portal, 254 North Cove Rd). Please park at Heneage House (first red/purple building as you come down the driveway).
In the meantime, listen to this informative interview with Thyra McKelvie on hosting solitary bees: https://www.motherearthnews.com/podcast/solitary-bees-zepz2203ztil/
Best,