“Nesting all but finished now at our condo terrace, down to the last dozen nesting females.
This year we put out ten experimental 25-tube bundles in one-liter shells (see picture) with the cocoons in a 1″ deep pocket behind the tubes. Along with the 25 rolled tubes we put two half-inch open-ended tubes through which the bees were to emerge. With this hybrid tube-release we hoped that more bees would stay at these nests than stay after a mass release. We used half-inch for the release tubes so that they wouldn’t be used for nesting.
The four tubes at left in the picture are part of one of two 19-tube bundles rolled to handle surplus nesting.” Dick S.
Has anyone else tried this method of release? Dr. Margriet
