Bee Things

So, the season of the mason bee is from early, like March, until May-ish.

My bees are done. They stopped being active some time in late April.

I started with 4 tubes of bees and ended with 18. Honestly, it's shocking to me. I didn't see all that much activity (the bees seemed to be a little shy). I saw one here or there, but I definitely saw the tubes being capped.

I had more than a 4x return on the bees this year, which I would say is a qualified success.

Now they spend the summer in the shade inside a wasp-proof bag (parasitic wasps are the biggest danger right now) while they grow in the tubes.

Later in the fall I'll move them into the garage and then after the new year they go in the refridgerator.

Funky little bees, but they're pretty cool.