Fall workshops and what we have discovered so far.

Workshops are a fun activity for beginners and others who want to share their experiences.

Explaining the lifecycle of the mason bee using the Beediverse viewing home.
Set up a bee home facing East, in the sun and under an overhang. Bleach and bowls for harvesting are ready to go in the foreground.
A closer look at the Beediverse viewing home
Viewing homes are a great learning tool
Opening up a bee home with nesting trays.
A look at all the nesting trays with cocoons and various debris and pests.
There is lots to see
Mason Bee cocoons lined up in their nesting tunnels.
Top- leafcutter bee cocoons. mid- unknown with wax plugs. Lower- summer bee with masticated leaf material.
Wooden trays out of a kit.
Large cocoons are the females. The smaller ones are the males.
This is a tiny summer bee that uses masticated leafmaterial as a plug.
Removing cocoons with a harvesting scoop into cold water.
After harvesting cocoons, they are soaked for about 30 minutes, then scoured in a metal sieve under runner water and a final rinse in bleach water. Then dried onto a paper towel and stored until spring. Happy harvesting.