Hi, last year we decided to get some mason bee for pollination and also to help the bees in general. We did some research and nothing seemed to prevent getting mason bees for where we lived(near Quebec City in Quebec, Canada). We even wrote to where we bought our bees, asking if we weren't a bit too north, but got no reply and received the bees, so we took it as a confirmation that it was ok.
But still, a doubt persisted about our climate vs mason bees... Then in april we receive the great newsletter from Crown Bees, which mention mason bees should be outside the fridge by now, or they risked running out of their stored food. Yikes! Well, putting them out was out of the question, there were still snow outside, like it does for most years in april, and there aren't any flowers out yet. So we wait...
Last week got warmer, but nights are still around zero sometimes, and only a few flowers are out. Trees haven't bloomed yet. So this weekend I give a look at the bees in the fridge and , woaw, 2 males are out! I guess they decided to get out because they ran out of stored food. Well, no choice but to get them out now. The good news is that saturday was warm, and I saw them fly out a few minutes after I set them in the mason bee house. I also pu the rest of the cocoon there.
Thing is, we're worried there isn't enough flowers out yet and that most might die because of the unfavorable conditions. We are lucky to have a forest in the back, but as I said, it's still waking up, so not many wild flowers out yet and our few fruit trees won't bloom for a couple of weeks yet.
As such, I'm wondering if we would be better with leafcutters and forget about mason bees. I don't wish to have them condemned to die every year that spring comes late(which it has been for the last 3 years)
Anyone else from the North East that have some hints?
Thanks!
But still, a doubt persisted about our climate vs mason bees... Then in april we receive the great newsletter from Crown Bees, which mention mason bees should be outside the fridge by now, or they risked running out of their stored food. Yikes! Well, putting them out was out of the question, there were still snow outside, like it does for most years in april, and there aren't any flowers out yet. So we wait...
Last week got warmer, but nights are still around zero sometimes, and only a few flowers are out. Trees haven't bloomed yet. So this weekend I give a look at the bees in the fridge and , woaw, 2 males are out! I guess they decided to get out because they ran out of stored food. Well, no choice but to get them out now. The good news is that saturday was warm, and I saw them fly out a few minutes after I set them in the mason bee house. I also pu the rest of the cocoon there.
Thing is, we're worried there isn't enough flowers out yet and that most might die because of the unfavorable conditions. We are lucky to have a forest in the back, but as I said, it's still waking up, so not many wild flowers out yet and our few fruit trees won't bloom for a couple of weeks yet.
As such, I'm wondering if we would be better with leafcutters and forget about mason bees. I don't wish to have them condemned to die every year that spring comes late(which it has been for the last 3 years)
Anyone else from the North East that have some hints?
Thanks!