Summer mason bees removed from their Quicklock-Corn nesting tunnels. This bee uses masticated leaf material as partition material.

 In the fall, when you find summer mason bee cocoons inside your nesting tunnels, the simplest is to clean out the other nesting tunnels and setting the nesting tray back, with the summer mason bee cocoons, in their wooden shelter ready for next spring.

Summer solitary bees in a wooden nesting tray.

Beediverse Emergence Shelter

Emergence nesting boxes made by Dave M. of Port Alberni BC.

An alternative is to gently remove cocoons with a scoop (these cocoons are more fragile then the relatively sturdy mason bee cocoons) and lay them into a emergence box like the one Dave M. from Port Alberni made or into the Beediverse Emergence Shelter (www.Beediverse.com).

By removing these cocoons from their nesting tunnel, you are freeing up valuable nesting space for other nesting bees in spring and summer.

Summer mason bee cocoons placed into a Emergence/Release box, after removal from nesting trays.

Quite a few new mason bee enthusiasts have asked me about nest location.

The best location for nests optimally includes the following:

1) East facing-bees can warm up early in the morning
2) Sunny-warmth provides adult mason bees energy to fly and provides warmth for larvae to eat.
3) Underneath over hang- protects nest and bees from getting wet.

If you don’t have all three factors at any one location, you may have to make a choice.

You may want to try nests at different locations.  This will tell you which is the best location for the bees.

For more detailed information see my book “Pollination with Mason Bees”  pages 31, 49-50.