# Nesting tubes suited to various species...?



## Seattleite (Jan 30, 2010)

Hey Omie, 

I think that each species is attracted to a range of different tube sizes...it's just that the range for each species is different.

This book just came out--Dave from Crown Bees loaned it to me and it has GREAT information on bee preferences and yields for different lengths and diameters. Lots of charts and graphs for we bee geeks 

It focuses primarily on mason bees, but it's still super useful information:
Managing Blue Orchard Bees for Pollinating Almonds in Fresno County, CA
*http://www.crownbees.com/store/prod...on-farming-with-an-osmia-bee-by-gerald-bodily*

This other book covers a wide range of species, from masons to leafcutters to bumblebees: 
Managing Alternative Pollinators
A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists
*http://www.nraes.org/nra_map.html* The very last section in the book is a detailed comparison of different nesting systems for mason bees, and a lot of it is applicable to other solitary species as well.

Good luck in 2011!


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## woodinvilledave (Apr 13, 2010)

Omie,

I'll have various size paper tubes available in a couple of months. Right now, the industry only has 8mm (5/16th") as the "norm". Seattleite is right, each species of the over 120+ mason bees has their own peculiarities.

However, you really want to track who's using which hole & when. Using straws/reeds are much better than drilled blocks of wood as you can't harvest/track who's using what when. 

Plus I recommend taking down the filled holes after a season so that you can keep pests down...

Dave


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Hi Dave,
Yes, you know me by my real name, and I ordered horn-faced bees and straws from you this Spring already. 

I harvested a bunch of Japanese Knotweed straws last Fall and have put out a big can of about 40 of those reeds in all different sizes _as well as_ my usual boxes of 2 diff sized paper straws.
It will be interesting to see who shows any interest in them.

yes, I always take my filled straws in for the winter and replace them with fresh straws and liners for Spring.


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## woodinvilledave (Apr 13, 2010)

In forums I walk the line of helping others understand nuances of what we're each learning and developing a good personal relationship off line. I'm friends with Seattleite as well.


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