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Bees & Beekeeping

Just bought some bee's and a mason bee house

10 years ago

so i just bought a starter kit and bought some bees with it. Is there anything that some of you guys know that i don't that i could do to not screw it up or anything. like do they need food for when they hatch? Or should i keep them inside for a few days while temps are in the 30's outside? should i place the larvae in the back of the mason bee house to incubate and hatch so they stay in the house and breed there?

Here is a link that might be useful: TheItalian Garden

Comment (1)

jean001a
10 years ago
Mine are already working flowers. Have been for several weeks.

Yours should not stay indoors. They are already adults and will leave the cocoons when temps are 50 to 55. In other words, they were probably kept in a fridge before you got them.

If they are still indoors, take them out now or you will have loose bees in the house by morning.

Put them outdoors in a sheltered place on the east or south side of the house/structure. They will come out when the temperatures are correct for them.

The males come out first, in normal conditions, a week or two prior to the females. Then they'll mate near the same tubes they just left.

See this
- http://county.wsu.edu/mason/gardening/Documents/OrchardMasonBees.pdf

and this
- http://puyallup.wsu.edu/plantclinic/resources/pdf/pls112orchardmasonbee.pdf

Here is a link that might be useful: mason bees
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