Setting Up Your Mason Bee House 

In nature, of course they would live outside all winter where they would be vulnerable to predators, diseases and parasites. As a beekeeper, however, you have the power to dramatically increase their odds of surviving and flourishing. Ideally, harvest the cocoons before the first freeze. Of the cocoons that survive (there will always be at least a few that are infested by wasp larvae or parasites), you soak them in a dilute bleach solution for 5 minutes, then dry them thoroughly, and then store them a cool place for winter storage. I keep the harvested cocoons in my fridge, in a "Humidibee" which is basically an overpriced plastic clam shell container with a sponge and a top dry layer. This keeps the cocoons cool enough that they will not hatch, and moist enough that they will not desiccate in the fridge. When the daytime temperature is consistently above 55 F, you place the cocoons outside in a release box (as shown in the videos) replacing the cardboard tubes with fresh liners (also important to dispose of and/or replace any tubes that have been damaged by wasps). It's essential you keep the cocoons stored until the spring blossoms begin to arrive, so they have something to eat when they emerge, and also can produce food for the larvae.

Unfortunately we do not have one video dedicated to Varroa mites. You can find information about Varroa through many of our seminar videos found here.

That is very interesting. The bees will typically return to the location in which they emerged. Did you have the cocoons emerge in the attic space or was this an attempt to capture wild Mason bees?

You will want to set up your house facing the morning sun. It doesn't need to face the sunrise directly, it's just the warmth from it will help encourage production.

Opening faces east so they have the morning sun and are protected from the afternoon sun.

facing the morning sun, for warmth

They basically just wait. They do explore looking for nectar, but they just stay around the female cocoons waiting on them to hatch.

Hahaha! The ladies are inside, waxing their legs and doing their makeup, while the gentlemen are pacing up and down and doing their best to appear patient and understanding

We were told by the Audubon Society that the male bees just hang out eating pollen and nectar, sleeping on flowers, and generally having a fine time. When the female bees emerge, they mate with them and then they die, leaving the female bees to do the hard work of laying eggs, collecting food for the larvae, and collecting mud to seal up each and every egg chamber.

Two weeks thereabouts.

Yes we also carry a smaller version of the Mason Bee House. You can find our complete Mason Bee Supply collection at www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/beekeepingsupplies/masonbeesupplies

Yes. www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Mason-Bee-House

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