There are some new folks moving into the neighborhood, finally! Construction was finished 2 winters ago, and the condo sat vacant for a whole year before some brave souls decided to take the plunge into real estate ownership. I’m so glad to have them: very hard workers, keep their yards tidy, and they’re nice and quiet neighbors that don’t bite. Who could this bee? Mason bees of course!
I was taking out the compost the other day, and noticed that a dozen or so of the bee holes i drilled out of a cedar block last year were filled in with mud. I checked the bamboo house i also made, but saw no activity there. I’m not sure the difference, but it could be the fact that the cedar house is right next to our apple trees and blueberry bushes- both of which were covered in flowers this year.
Here’s a link to the post i put up about mason bees, their important role in pollination, and how to provide a home for them.
I have no idea who many eggs were laid into each hole, but they’re about 6 inches deep, so maybe 7 or 8 per hole. I’m just so excited that it really worked: and it was so simple too! Literally 10 minutes of work: drill a bunch of holes into wood, attach to a post in the garden.
What are you waiting for!?!
Some other shots of interesting garden goings on: the bog/carnivorous garden is in full swing. The one on the left are the amazingly strange pitcher plant flowers, and the photo on the right is of one of my sundews. Not to fear: pitcher plants give off a bit of a stink to attract flies and mosquitoes, so mason bees aren’t attracted to them and won’t be eaten.