Large Native Leafcutter Bee

Large Native Leafcutter Bee

Description

Homestead Essentials Large Native Leafcutter Bee

SUPPORT THE BEES: Place a native bee house in your backyard and support your hard working neighborhood bees, you depend on them.

WE DEPEND ON NATIVE POLLINATORS: Approximately 30% of our food supply and 90% of wild plants depend on pollination from native bees.

FLAME-TREATED AND NATURAL BAMBOO: Designed to fit into nature seamlessly and resist rot

ATTRACTING NATIVE BEES: Place the bee house outside facing the direction of the morning sun and add a garden with native plants nearby.

WHAT FLOWERS SHOULD YOU PLANT? Ensuring your bee house is surrounded by the right pollen sources can help attract bees to your bee house. Shallow blossoms such as daisies, zinnias, and asters. As well as nepeta, salvia, oregano, mint, and lavender for long-tongued bees.

Can this hive stay out during a snowy winter? Does it provide enough shelter for the hibernating bees from below zero temps?
Am confident this will over-winter well. We live in the Pacific Northwest and frequently have freezing nights, winter weather, and snow storms. Boxes smaller than these have done very well for us, but the flickers (woodpeckers) were able to reach in and consume some of the larvae.. These are deeper, thicker, and more robust. We hung them in April and all of the tubes are full. We're looking forward to spring!

How do yo clean or replace the tubes.? It appears their glued in.
You can’t. It’s a design flaw once you read about mason bees. I had no idea until after the season.

What kind of hook do I need for this bee hotel?
It has a small key hole type hole in the back. I just used a flat head wood screw. I hung it on a wood siding wall at the seam line.

Can they be used year after year?
This is my second year. I did protect the wood w/ polyurethane initially (excluding the tubes). No bees that first year. This time, I painted all but the tubes with red paint to (hopefully) attract the bees. Anyhoo, I'm thinking this bee house should last multiple years if the wood is protected in some way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this hive stay out during a snowy winter? Does it provide enough shelter for the hibernating bees from below zero temps?

Am confident this will over-winter well. We live in the Pacific Northwest and frequently have freezing nights, winter weather, and snow storms. Boxes smaller than these have done very well for us, but the flickers (woodpeckers) were able to reach in and consume some of the larvae.. These are deeper, thicker, and more robust. We hung them in April and all of the tubes are full. We're looking forward to spring!

How do yo clean or replace the tubes.? It appears their glued in.

You can’t. It’s a design flaw once you read about mason bees. I had no idea until after the season.

What kind of hook do I need for this bee hotel?

It has a small key hole type hole in the back. I just used a flat head wood screw. I hung it on a wood siding wall at the seam line.

Can they be used year after year?

This is my second year. I did protect the wood w/ polyurethane initially (excluding the tubes). No bees that first year. This time, I painted all but the tubes with red paint to (hopefully) attract the bees. Anyhoo, I'm thinking this bee house should last multiple years if the wood is protected in some way.